Mortal Fates
by David Tai
Summary: Second of the OMG Vertigo The Dreaming crossover trilogy. Written with Rod M. Belldandy is now mortal, after the incidents portrayed in Dire Fates. But what is haunting the dreams of the exGoddess?
1. Foreword: Explaining OMG and Dreaming

---------------------------------  
  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
---------------------------------  
  
  
  
Writer's Notes: Explaining Ah My Goddess!  
  
"I want a goddess like you to be with me always!"  
  
-Keiichi Morisato to Belldandy  
"Oh My Goddess!"  
  
---------------  
  
Once upon a time, there was a boy.  
  
His name was Keiichi Morisato.  
  
He was generally an ordinary boy. He was a member of his  
college's Auto Club. He pursued girls, but had little  
luck, especially with the most popular and beautiful  
girl on the campus of Nekomi Tech, Sayoko Mishima.  
  
He was lonely.  
  
And then one day, calling for takeout food, he dialed the  
wrong number.  
  
He called the Goddess Relief Service.  
  
And Goddess First Class Belldandy answered his call, and  
granted him a wish.  
  
He wished she would stay with him forever.  
  
And she did.  
  
A pact was formed. Belldandy came to live with him in a  
temple.  
  
And with her came great fortune. Suddenly things were  
looking up for Keiichi. Life was grand, even if  
Belldandy's sisters, Urd and Skuld, came along and stayed  
with them. And even though Mara the Demoness came to  
make their lives miserable, and various people got involved  
in their business, Keiichi and Belldandy stuck by each  
other.  
  
It mattered not that Belldandy was one of three sisters  
who supervised the Yggdrasil, the Ultimate Computer in  
Heaven. It mattered not that Keiichi was ordinary.  
  
They were in love.  
  
And then Mara set in motion a grand scheme. Told in  
"Dire Fates", the Yggdrasil was saved only by Skuld and a  
trenchcoated man named Constantine.  
  
But the consequences of the Yggdrasil's upheaval meant a  
possible change in the pact between mortal and Goddess.  
  
But Belldandy loved Keiichi.  
  
And Keiichi loved her.  
  
And there was very little choice... after all, Belldandy  
had chosen Keiichi over Heaven before.  
  
Love before duty.  
  
Would she do it again...?  
  
And what would happen to her if she did?  
  
---------------  
  
Writer's Notes: Explaining The Dreaming  
  
"The Dreaming. A realm comprising tales and nightmares,  
woven on the fragile loom of sleeping minds."  
  
-Dr. Occult to Tim Hunter,  
"The Books of Magic"  
  
---------------  
  
The Dreaming.  
  
A vast landscape, a realm of dreams, ruled by a Prince of  
Stories...  
  
A place outside of time, outside of space, where there be  
dragons... where ravens soar through the sky..  
  
Here, one can find the House of Mystery, side by side with  
the House of Secrets, run by the brothers Cain and Abel.  
And in a cave somewhere dwells a woman named Eve. Whether  
they be the true Biblical characters or part of the tales  
that live in the Dreaming...  
  
Here, there is a library possessing all the books never  
written, all the stories ever lost, run by Lucien the  
librarian...  
  
Here, a grumbling pumpkinhead named Mervyn constructs sets  
to all dreams that all creatures dream.  
  
Here, the Corinthian dwells, a nightmare created to be  
the dark reflection of humanity.  
  
All myths, all fairy tales, all the wonderous dreams and  
fantasies ever created, and those yet to be dreamed reside  
here... and here nightmares and horrors also dwell; light  
and darkness side by side under the watchful eye of Dream of  
the Endless...  
  
Welcome to the Dreaming...  
  
---------------  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
The Dreaming was created by Neil Gaiman. All rights and  
related characters are owned and published by DC Comics.  
  
Ah! My Goddess was created and copyrighted by Kosuke  
Fujishima. Published by Kodansha Ltd and Dark Horse  
Comics.  
  
This work of fan fiction is public domain and not intended  
for profit. 


	2. Alone

---------------  
  
Continuity takes place up to The Dreaming #21  
  
And now....   
  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
part 1  
Alone  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
---------------------------------  
  
  
"I know how Gods begin, Roger. We start as dreams. Then we  
walk out of dreams into the land. We are worshipped and  
loved, and take power to ourselves. And then one day  
there's no one left to worship us. And in the end, each  
little god and goddess takes its last journey back into  
dreams... and what comes after, not even we know."  
  
-Ishtar, Babylonian Goddess of Love  
"The Sandman: Brief Lives"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Alone in the library as he usually was, a tall, thin man  
went about the task of sorting and cataloguing the vast  
collection of books stored here.   
  
This was no ordinary library. This was the Library of  
Dream. It held such rare works as Happiness by Edgar Allan  
Poe, More Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, and Ranma  
1/2 vol. 39 by R. Takahashi. This was the home of the  
stories never told, the books never written, and there were  
an endless amount of those. The passages seemed  
never-ending, the ceiling barely visible, and the rows of   
books tall in a manner that disturbed the eye.  
  
The man walked down the endless rows pushing a cart full of  
books. This man, brown-haired with spectacles that made him   
resemble a scarecrow with owlish eyes, was the Library's sole  
caretaker, responsible for sorting and maintaining this vast  
collection. His name was Lucien.   
  
As Lucien lifted one book to the shelf, he hesitated. He   
looked it over carefully. This book was one he hadn't  
noticed before, somewhat thin volume, but with ornate and  
shimmering letters on the cover.   
  
He opened the book and began to read...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
OOO  
O O  
OOOnce upon a time there was a boy.   
  
He was a lonely boy and a misfit, but he was content with  
what he had. It was a humble sort of life.   
  
Then one day he met a Goddess.   
  
She offered him a wish.   
  
He wished a Goddess like her would stay with him forever.   
  
And she did.   
  
Together they lived in a temple.   
  
They fell in love.   
  
He met her family.   
  
His life took strange and wonderful turns. It was a grand  
adventure.  
  
And as long as he had his beloved Goddess by his side, he  
felt he could take on the world.  
  
And then one day, the dream ended.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
David Tai & Rod M.   
present...   
  
  
Mortal Fates  
A  
The Dreaming  
Ah! My Goddess!   
Crossover  
  
Part 1  
  
"Alone"  
  
  
-*-  
  
Night.  
  
It was night.  
  
She wasn't sure what she was doing there, but there she was,  
and it was night. She was currenty in someone's bed, being  
held by someone... odd, that. She couldn't think of anyone  
she'd want to be held by. Not that it wasn't unpleasant,  
but at the moment she wasn't attached to anyone in THAT  
manner.   
  
She looked up at his face, and she recognized who was  
holding him. Morisato. Keiichi Morisato.  
  
Hm. Odd.  
  
The phone rang, and with it her heart raced with fear.  
  
Fear? There was no reason for her to fear anything.  
  
This wasn't right at all.  
  
Keiichi frowned. "[Who's calling at this time of-]"  
  
"[Don't answer it, please?]" asked Belldandy, a tone of  
urgency in her voice.  
  
Odd again. Why did she say that?  
  
The phone rang again. Despite herself, she found that the  
fear in her rose even further.  
  
"[Please don't answer it, Keiichi-san. Don't leave me.]"  
  
She was trembling with fear. With _fear_. This didn't make  
sense, not at all. This wasn't her.  
  
The phone rang again and she twitched as if struck.  
  
"[I won't leave you, Bell-chan, I promise.]"  
  
Keiichi reached for the phone. Fear came crashing down on  
her as he picked up the reciever.  
  
She wanted to scream, to yell, anything to get him away from  
the phone and....  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Sunlight streamed in through an open window and surrounded  
a sleeping figure.  
  
Brown tresses sprawled all across the bed. The figure  
stirred, and opened her vividly blue eyes. She yawned and  
stretched and then winced as her body creaked and cracked.   
  
She rose and opened the shutters. It was a sunny day, but  
those clouds in the horizon...   
  
"[Belldandy?]" a voice called, speaking in Japanese.   
  
Belldandy turned around. Standing in the doorway was a  
thin, gawky young Japanese man, with short, unruly black  
hair.   
  
Keiichi Morisato. Beloved.   
  
She smiled briefly.   
  
"[Um, Belldandy? I got you breakfast.]"   
  
Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. "[Oh no, I woke up  
late!]"  
  
Keiichi raised his hands, waving them frantically. "[No,  
no, it's okay, I got it.]"  
  
"[You're not going to be late for classes, are you?]" she  
asked, worry and concern in her voice.   
  
Keiichi smiled. "[No, no. Don't worry about it. Are you  
feeling okay?]"   
  
Belldandy yawned. "[Just a little tired, that's all.]"   
  
"[Well, okay. I'll see you when I get back.]"   
  
Belldandy yawned and settled back into the covers,  
sleepiness clinging to her still. That was odd, she  
thought. She'd never woken up late before. She felt bad  
about it.   
  
A few minutes later, she finally arose and went to the  
washroom for her morning ablutions. It was there that   
she first realized something was wrong.   
  
Very wrong.   
  
Her goddess marks were gone.   
  
No, that couldn't be right. Not possible.   
  
She ran her fingers over her forehead just to be sure.   
  
They were gone.   
  
"[Urd-neesan! Skuld-chan!]" She fled from the bathroom and  
went to their rooms only to find them unattended.   
"[Urd-neesan? Skuld-chan? Where are you?!]" She wandered  
the temple looking for them but found herself alone.   
  
Alone, with no Keiichi, no Urd, no Skuld.   
  
She blinked and turned her attention within.   
  
There was absolute silence. No inner light, no power  
within. Even the link with Holy Bell, her angel, was gone.   
Not even a whisper. Except for the sound of her beating  
heart.   
  
Desperation began to creep on her and she reached for the  
telephone.  
  
She paused.   
  
And with a dread, cold chill running through her soul, she  
realized she had forgotten God's phone number.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[I'm home!]"   
  
Keiichi Morisato sighed in relief. The day was a bit long.  
Projects, work, and the auto club took almost every minute   
of his time.   
  
But that didn't matter anymore. He was home.   
  
Nice, quiet, peaceful home.   
  
Hm.   
  
Too quiet.   
  
"[Belldandy?]"   
  
Strange. Usually Belldandy would have greeted him by  
this point. Offered some tea. Asked how his day had   
gone. All the nice little things. Skuld would have been  
working on a weird gadget of her own invention. And  
Urd... he didn't want to think about what SHE would  
have been doing.  
  
"[Belldandy? Urd? Skuld?]"   
  
Still no reply.   
  
All was silent except for a very faint sound coming from  
Belldandy's room. He found her door open and his heart  
ached at the sight that greeted him:   
  
Belldandy curled up on the floor, sobbing quietly.   
  
"[Belldandy?]"   
  
"[Oh Keiichi!]" She rushed up and held him tightly, sobbing  
onto his shoulder.   
  
"[Bell-chan? What's wrong? What happened?]"   
  
She continued sobbing, leaving the question unanswered.   
Belldandy didn't know the words to explain how it felt, the  
horror a goddess feels when she has lost every single link  
to Heaven.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[Good afternoon!]"   
  
Keiichi looked up from his mechanic work. "[After- oh, it's  
you, Megumi.]"   
  
"[What, not a kind word for your little sister?]" Megumi  
retorted. The bright-eyed brown-haired teenaged college  
student put fists to her hips and leaned forward. "[What  
are you doing, big brother?]"   
  
"[Working on the motorcycle. I've been trying to get the  
engine running. I need a 80cc plug, but the club's been  
behind on finances-]"   
  
"[I see. I'm here to see Bell-chan. Is she home?]"   
  
"[-and so we... ah... um. Belldandy's not herself today.]"   
  
"[Yeah, I thought so. Sick, huh? Belldandy usually doesn't   
miss classes. Well, I've got news that might cheer her up!]"   
Megumi beamed. She pushed her way past her frantically   
waving brother and headed inside.   
  
Sighing and frowning, Keiichi turned back to his work. He  
didn't really want to work on his bike, not right now but...  
he really didn't know what else he could do.   
  
He had tried to comfort Belldandy earlier.   
  
"[It can't be that bad, Bell-chan. Missing a few classes  
isn't that bad.]" he had  
said...   
  
Only to have Belldandy turn on him and get upset with him.   
"[You don't understand! Of course you wouldn't understand!]"   
  
Surprised at Belldandy's vehemence, a very confused Keiichi  
had left her alone. He would have turned to Skuld or Urd,   
asking what was wrong with Belldandy, but neither of them  
were in their rooms.  
  
And so Keiichi returned to what he was really comfortable  
with... working with his beloved motorcycle.   
  
He sighed. Hopefully Megumi would have better luck...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[Hello? Belldandy? It's me, Megumi. I just came by  
to...]"   
  
Megumi froze as Belldandy turned from what she was doing.   
The weariness and sadness in Belldandy's eyes...  
  
"[Oh. It's you, Megumi... what do you want?]" Belldandy replied.   
She turned back to look at the vegetables she was chopping.  
  
"[Are you all right, Bell-chan? You weren't at school today.]"  
  
"[I'm feeling... tired, but that will pass.]"  
  
"[Okay. Oh! I just came by to give you some good news!   
You remember how you encouraged me to enter the Nekomi Tech  
design competition? The one where we need to develop a neat  
solar-powered car? I won! The Motor Club's going to be  
over soon, so we can have a party... because we're going to  
BUILD it! And then Keiichi's going to drive it at a  
competition and... oh! Not a word to Keiichi, we're going  
to surprise him, okay?]" Megumi smiled, a conspiratorical  
wink on her face.   
  
Belldandy smiled, if a bit wearily... "[I see. I'll prepare  
a cake as well..]"   
  
Megumi smiled. "[Okay... I'm going to pick on Big Brother  
some more... remember, not a word!]" And she ran out of the  
kitchen.   
  
Belldandy sighed as she turned back to looking at the knife.   
The weight of the blade felt a little odd in her hands. As  
she put the knife down for the first slice, she noticed her  
slice was slightly off. Belldandy frowned. She slowly sped  
up her chopping, her frustration growing with every slice  
until she felt a sting on her hand. With a shout, she  
dropped everything and held her hand.   
  
Red blood oozed from the deep cut in her hand.   
  
And the world turned dark.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Sitting in a tree outside a dark cave in the Dreaming,   
where all living souls go when they sleep, Matthew brooded.  
  
Once he had been able to love and hate, to take a woman in  
his arms and love her, to punch a man because he hated  
him...  
  
Once he could run far and away, swim a long way... race a  
car one hundred miles per hour down a screaming highway,  
drunk out of his mind...  
  
Once he had been Matt Cable.   
  
Now he had lost all that.   
  
But he didn't mind that all so much... for he had gained  
wisdom in death and the gift of flight in his rebirth...  
  
For Matthew was a Raven.   
  
Ravens, as a whole, were advisors to gods. Ravens advised  
Odin, the Chief Norse God, granting thought and memory. In  
Native American mythology, ravens were cunning and sly.   
But Matthew was more than that.  
  
Matthew was the current Raven of Dream.   
  
Dream was the Prince of Stories, the Master of dreams. More  
than that, he was Dream of the Endless, one of seven  
anthropomorphic personifications of reality. Unlike the   
others... unlike Desire and Despair, unlike Destiny and   
Destruction, unlike Death and Delirium, Dream was... young.  
Even though he was as old as the cosmos, Dream was still very  
new at his job. Dream needed guidance.   
  
For he was the second being to hold the title of Dream. The  
first had been slain, but he'd made preparations. The  
current Dream was the result of those plans.  
  
Just as he had with the first Dream, just as it was with all  
Ravens of Dream before him, it was up to Matthew to be a  
voice of counsel.  
  
But for now...   
  
"Matthew?" a voice interrupted his reverie.  
  
Matthew turned his head to look at a matronly figure   
that had just emerged from the cave.  
  
"Oh, Eve, yeah... what?"  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to be?"  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
No time for brooding.  
  
Right now he had an appointment to keep, to see the  
brothers, the keepers of Mysteries and Secrets.   
  
Eve smiled. "Give the boys my love, will you?"  
  
"Uh, sure."  
  
And with a loud cry, Matthew was off and flying.  
  
Eve shook her head with a hint of bemusement. "Men."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Keiichi stood in the corridor of the hospital waiting. It  
seemed so very wrong, to be waiting for Belldandy to come  
out of the emergency room.   
  
Belldandy had cut herself.   
  
She'd bled like a normal human being.   
  
Keiichi had panicked when he saw her, passed out in the  
kitchen, a pool of blood forming near her arm.   
  
Belldandy was _bleeding_.   
  
It hadn't really sunk in until now. He'd been used to her  
being a Goddess for so long. Whatever happened, she would  
always be there. She was a _Goddess_.   
  
But not anymore.   
  
Running into the kitchen when he heard Belldandy's scream  
and seeing her lying there, watching her blood flow... that  
had been the moment of true realization.   
  
Belldandy was mortal.   
  
She'd eat like a mortal, sleep like a mortal, bleed like a  
mortal...   
  
And she could die.   
  
"[Keiichi?]"   
  
He looked up, fear in his eyes. "[Belldandy!]" Without  
hesitation, he rushed up and took her in his arms, embracing  
her. "[Don't scare me like that again,]" he said softly.   
  
"[... I won't, Keiichi...]"   
  
But Belldandy didn't sound so confident.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It appeared to be a traditional tea time between two men in  
a room full of antique furniture.   
  
"More tea?"   
  
"Suh-suh-shure, th-thanks."   
  
That wasn't quite what it was, although it was close.   
  
The furniture was indeed antique, most from the Victorian era  
and quite a few even older. The bit with the tea was  
traditional as could be.   
  
Matthew flew through an open window into this cozy,  
traditional scene, and perched on the stutterer's shoulder.  
  
"Ah, welcome my feathered friend", the non-stuttering man  
spoke. "Tea? Crackers? Rotting carrion?"   
  
"How about just some peanuts?" asked Matthew, giving him an  
irritated glare.   
  
"Ruh-ruh-right."   
  
The short, fat, bearded one with a stutter was named Abel.   
The other, a tall and lean man with oddly pointy hair,  
glasses, and an acidic persona, was Cain. It was a distinct  
possibility that they were the Cain and Abel from Biblical  
legend. After all, in the Dreaming... stories and dreams  
abounded.   
  
Cain, at the moment, was staring outside at the lands around  
them. "Something's amiss."   
  
"Wuh-what was th-that?"   
  
Cain's expression darkened slightly. "I said, bubble-butt,  
something's amiss. Out there. In the Dreaming."   
  
"That sorta thing seems to be a regular event nowadays,"   
said Matthew.  
  
The location of their tea-time gathering was far from usual  
as well. The house they were in was the House of Mystery,  
which was watched over by Cain. It sat upon one of two  
hills in a place that seemed perpetually cloudy. The other  
hill was topped by the House of Secrets, watched over by  
Abel.  
  
"I huh-huh-hope it's nothing too serious," said Abel.   
  
Cain stroked his beard. "I don't think it's serious, no.   
Just odd."   
  
"Suh-sounds like a muh-muh-mystery to me..." muttered Abel  
absently. Cain sighed. Accidental or not, it was a bad  
pun. He pulled out an old-fashioned pistol...   
  
There was a flapping of wings...   
  
*BLAM*  
  
There was one other thing that was highly unusual about the  
pair. Cain had a habit of killing Abel on a regular basis.   
  
"Jeez!" yelled Matthew, from his new perch atop a bookshelf.   
  
Cain scowled and waved his pistol dismissively. "He was due!   
If there's one thing I can't stand it's a bad pun. Besides,  
I hadn't killed him all week."  
  
Abel would eventually recover from the murder, but it was  
never a pleasant experience.   
  
"But a gun!" Matthew exclaimed.   
  
Cain frowned. "Hmmm. You're right, doing it with a gun   
just isn't the same. Next time I use the mallet. Haven't   
done that one in a while."   
  
He looked down at Abel's bloody remains, sighed, then  
grabbed his feet and dragged him out of the room. "Come on,  
blubber butt, you're bleeding on my carpet."   
  
Behind him Matthew shook his head.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[PARTYYYYYYYYYYYY!]"   
  
The sounds emitting from the temple were enough to make  
Keiichi groan.   
  
What, he wondered, in the name of the Gods was going on  
there?   
  
"[Oi!!!! Where's Morisato???]"  
  
The Nekomi Tech Motor Club. Wonderful.   
  
Belldandy grabbed his shirt weakly and moaned. Keiichi  
frowned. He had to get Belldandy home quietly...   
  
The doors of the temple flew open and with a shout of  
"[MORISATO!!!!]" a big ugly man came running out, tears  
streaming down his face as he pulled Keiichi into a bear  
hug. "[Morisato-kun! I'm so happy! Once again we showed  
everyone that the Nekomi Tech Motor Club is the best!]"   
  
Keiichi groaned. So much for quietly getting Belldandy  
home. He pushed ineffectually against Tamiya. Fortunately  
for Keiichi, he was quickly released from the crushing   
embrace as Tamiya turned around and bellowed, "[Hey, guys!  
Morisato's here!]"   
  
People streamed out of the building; in seconds they  
were swarmed by the members of the motor club, most of them  
already in varying states of intoxication.   
  
Surrounded on all sides, Keiichi and Belldandy had no choice  
but to follow them into the temple where the party was  
already in full swing. Helplessly, he held an arm around a   
shivering, quiet Belldandy, observing the chaos.   
  
"[Keiichi, I will go into the garden to get some fresh  
air.]" With these words Belldandy disentangled herself  
from him and walked away, ignoring the partying people  
around her. As the door closed after her, everyone fell  
silent and turned around to look at Keiichi.   
  
Tamiya walked up to him slowly, his dark expression  
promising doom, or at the very least tremendous amounts of  
pain. He grabbed Keiichi and shook him like a rag doll.  
  
"[Morisato-kun, what have you done to Belldandy-sama!]"   
  
"[N .. n... nothing, sempai!]", Keiichi managed to reply  
weakly, still staring at the door.   
  
Tamiya dumped him unceremoniously and then bellowed,  
"[Let's party!]" but not before giving Keiichi one last  
look.   
  
Keiichi sighed as someone pushed a can of beer into his  
palm.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Outside, Belldandy noticed nothing of the commotion inside.   
Alone with her thoughts, she sat there leaning against the  
ancient oak tree, drawing a small measure of comfort from  
its silent presence. Her thoughts were interrupted by the  
sound of a car coming to a halt outside the gate. Seconds  
later, an elegant young woman entered the temple grounds.  
  
Spying Belldandy sitting alone under the tree, Sayoko  
Mishima smiled. If Belldandy was out here, alone, during  
the party, she might have a chance to take her Keiichi away  
from that woman.   
  
With a false smile, she nodded to Belldandy.   
  
"[Good evening, Belldandy-san. It is so nice to see you  
again.]"   
  
Her expression turned nastier as she continued.   
  
"[I see you are not with Keiichi-san tonight ... how sad.  
Did you two break up?]"   
  
Belldandy didn't answer, not even indicating that she had  
noticed Sayoko. She only stared off into space, a sad  
expression on her face.   
  
Sayoko smiled, and walked away towards the temple, calling  
back over her shoulder, "[I am sure you won't mind if I help  
Keiichi-san over his loss then,]" before vanishing in the  
house.   
  
Belldandy looked after her.   
  
Why hadn't she said anything?   
  
With a sigh she looked at the ground, a lonely tear running  
down her cheek.   
  
"[Keiichi, my Keiichi... I should be with you now ... but I  
am too weak ... I can hardly face myself in the mirror, how  
could I face you and our friends? And now Sayoko is there,  
too. She will try to take you away from me, I am certain.]"   
  
Dark thoughts running through her head, Belldandy sat in the  
darkness, cold, vulnerable, and above all alone.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Inside the temple, Keiichi blinked as Sayoko walked towards  
him, demurely smiling. Though he had regarded her as a  
friend, something about her seemed different today.   
  
"[Sis? What's with Sayoko?]" Keiichi murmured to Megumi.   
  
"[I don't know, bro, but... hi, Sayoko!]" Megumi smiled a  
friendly smile at Sayoko.   
  
"[I wished to offer my congratulations, Megumi-san... it was  
quite an display of creativity you put on...]" Sayoko  
smiled quickly and fleetingly at Keiichi as she spoke.  
  
"[Why, thank you!]"   
  
Keiichi's eyes darted towards the outdoors. "[Excuse me,  
Sayoko, Megumi.]" He started towards the door.   
  
Sayoko excused herself and followed him, frowning a bit.   
Silly boy, what was wrong with her that he'd constantly  
evade her? For a foreigner, even!   
  
Outside the door, Keiichi spied Belldandy. As he called out  
towards her, Sayoko tapped him on the shoulder.   
  
"[Thank you for a lovely time, Keiichi.]" And she kissed  
him on the cheek.   
  
Belldandy looked up at that moment. Her eyes welled with  
tears and she spun around, and ran away.  
  
"[B-b-belldandy...!]" Keiichi stammered after her.   
  
But she kept running.   
  
Sayoko bowed, and readied to leave, with a small smile on  
her face. So much for Belldandy.   
  
And then Sayoko turned her head to watch Belldandy's  
retreating form... and frowned. Why then, did she feel so  
guilty...? It felt almost like she had taken advantage of a  
weakened opponent.   
  
No. That couldn't be it... could it?   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Keiichi sighed.   
  
He was alone, finally... in this big empty house.   
  
Things just didn't seem right. It was too quiet, too  
lonely. Suddenly he wished he hadn't sent everyone home so  
soon.   
  
There was a fumbling sound and then the doors began to open.   
  
Belldandy walked in, shivering.   
  
Keiichi rose. Quietly he walked up to her. "[Belldandy?]"   
  
Belldandy walked right past him.   
  
Keiichi turned in shock. "[Belldandy?!]"   
  
He watched as Belldandy's back stiffened and she halted.   
Slowly, Belldandy turned around.   
  
Tears were in her eyes. "[Keiichi...? You're still here?]"   
  
Keiichi blinked. "[Of course I am! What...]"   
  
Suddenly Belldandy was hugging him, her head lying on his  
chest. "[Oh, Keiichi! You didn't leave, after all!]"   
  
"[... of course, I didn't. Why would I?]"   
  
Belldandy let go of him, drawing back, withdrawing into  
herself. "[Sayoko... I thought....]"   
  
"[She was just saying good night, that's all, Bell-chan...]"   
  
"[I... I'm sorry, Keiichi! I... I've been so afraid  
lately... and... oh, Keiichi!]" Belldandy threw her arms  
around him and held him close to her.   
  
Keiichi held her back, tightly.   
  
They stood there for a long time afterwards, clinging to  
each other.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Dreaming, a dream was being  
built. The foreman of the construction crew was, at the  
moment, having some problems with the plans.   
  
His name was Merv. He was a pumpkinhead.   
  
He would have scratched his beard in irritation, but he had  
a pumpkin for a head. So instead he just rubbed his chin.   
  
Scratching his chin would have resulted in some nasty  
peeling.   
  
"Dey want what?" he asked incredulously, the tip of his  
cigar flaring up. "I dunno. Cripes, we gotta use THOSE  
candles? And we gotta use HIM? Oh my. HE'S not gonna be  
happy, that's fer sure."   
  
The faceless worker next to him shrugged. "That's the  
orders, boss."   
  
Merv scowled and puffed out a few clouds of smoke. "Great.   
Okay. Fine. But I ain't happy 'bout dis, and I know HE  
ain't gonna be cooperative."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
A few days later...   
  
Some would say it was bound to happen.  
  
Belldandy had missed more and more classes. Keiichi was  
looking more and more stressed. Those few that had managed  
to catch a glimpse of Belldandy had noticed she seemed  
tired, worn, a little ill.  
  
The rumor mill began.  
  
Keiichi, quietly eating his lunch in the campus courtyard,  
was blisfully unaware of the hushed whispers flowing around  
him.  
  
"[Look at him. He looks so tired.]"  
  
"[Where's his girlfriend? She never missed a day of class  
before.]"  
  
"[I heard she was sick.]"  
  
Keiichi sighed and read over his notes, drink in hand.  
  
"[I heard they were fighting.]"  
  
"[You think they'll break up?]"  
  
He idly picked up his burger and ate it with little  
interest.  
  
"[She used to ALWAYS cook for him. Now he's reduced to cheap  
takeout.]"  
  
"[Ouch, that's not a good sign.]"  
  
Keiichi yawned, then stretched.  
  
"[Guy looks exhausted. Wonder why.]"  
  
"[Could be Bell keeping him up, if you know what I mean.]"  
  
"[Nah. He'd look tired but HAPPY if that was the case. Does  
he look happy to you?]"  
  
Keiichi stood up quietly, and gathered up his trash, preparing  
to depart.  
  
The angry eyes of Tamiya watched him go.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
At the front porch of the shrine, Belldandy sat and watched  
the world go by. Soon her Keiichi would return, and she  
wished to see him. She didn't know what she would do  
without him now that she was truly mortal.   
  
The past few days and nights had passed like a blur, unreal  
and hazy. Nothing seemed clear. It was as if the world was  
was cast under a haze of grey.  
  
Attending classes was no longer the joy it had been. For  
the first time, she could not find pleasure in school, as  
facts and data no longer came easily to her. She had to  
labor to remember things, which was apt to give her   
headaches. The Motor Club's usual chaos confused and   
stressed her to the point that she had pleaded illness  
and left.  
  
Even simple housekeeping was hard for her. Belldandy found  
herself becoming tired frequently from mere daily chores.  
The wind seemed a bit more harsh, the sun a little more   
stinging to the skin.   
  
Once when she was watching television trying to calm her  
nerves, she thought she saw Urd. Her sister seemed to be a  
dim apparition, staring sadly at her. When Belldandy had  
called out to her, Urd disappeared.   
  
Every now and then, when she gazed at her tea, she saw the   
face of her sister Skuld. Again, it was a sad look her   
younger sister seemed to have, and it never lasted for long.  
  
Were they lamenting her fall? They seemed to be. She wished  
she could talk to them once more, to say her final goodbyes,  
but she was allowed nothing more than a ghostly image of her  
family.   
  
She sighed as she headed into the house, walking slowly  
into the living room.  
  
To be with my sisters once more, thought Belldandy. My  
Lord, is that too much to ask?   
  
She received no reply.   
  
Keiichi wanted her to see a doctor, but she knew whatever  
was ailing her was far beyond the ability of mortal healers.  
  
She had been cast from Heaven. She was one of the Fallen.   
  
That almost made her laugh. She would not fit in with the  
other Lords of Hell, not at all.   
  
Belldandy sat down and stretched out on the floor, looking  
up at the ceiling.   
  
Was this her punishment for loving a mortal more than her  
duty to Heaven?  
  
But she also had a duty to Keiichi. She had made an   
agreement. "I want a goddess like you to be with me  
always!" Keiichi had said.  
  
So be it.   
  
She loved Keiichi, and that was all that mattered.   
  
Keiichi...   
  
Yes, he'd be coming home...   
  
Any...   
  
Minute...   
  
Now...   
  
And Belldandy slept.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
o/~ Happy birthday to you o/~  
  
Birthday?   
  
o/~ Happy birthday to you o/~  
  
Oh! Skuld's birthday! The anniversary of her reconfiguration,  
actually. But for gods and goddesses it was the same thing.  
  
But wasn't that next month?   
  
Belldandy opened her eyes to the sight of a room full of  
people. Surprised, she stood up and looked around,  
realizing that all these people were their friends and  
family. At the center of everyone's attention was Skuld, her  
back to Belldandy, standing before a gigantic birthday cake.   
  
The cake and the candles, however, were all black. And the  
flames burned with an eerie blue light.   
  
o/~ Happy birthday dear Skuld o/~  
o/~ Happy birthday to you... o/~  
  
The crowd cheered as the song came to an end. Skuld, her  
back still to Belldandy, leaned forward and blew out all the  
candles.  
  
With a gust of wind, the room went dark. Why was it so cold  
suddenly?  
  
"Skuld-chan?"   
  
She was surprised and frightened when her voice echoed  
through the darkness.   
  
"H-hello? Anybody?"   
  
"There's no need to be afraid," said her little sister,  
somewhere in the darkness.   
  
"Skuld? What's happening?"   
  
"I've been reborn again, just like you."   
  
Reborn? That can't be right! Skuld had only been in her  
current incarnation for 15 years... it was too soon!   
  
"Skuld? Where are you?"   
  
"Over here, sister."   
  
Blue flames came to life once more a few meters away.   
Belldandy saw Skuld standing before the fire, her back still  
turned away, idly tossing a marble around. There was the  
sound of something... clacking?   
  
"Skuld?" She slowly walked up to her sister and with a  
trembling hand, touched her on the shoulder.  
  
Skuld turned around, eyes closed, and faced her sister.   
There was a smile on Skuld's face, an artificial and vacant  
smile.  
  
She opened her eyes. They were smiling too. Literally.   
  
Shock, fear, and repulsion washed over Belldandy. She  
looked down, away, anywhere but into Skuld's... eyes... no,  
those weren't eyes...  
  
"What do you think, dear sweet sister?" said the chattering  
rows of teeth that had become Skuld's eyes. "It's a new  
look. Isn't it nice?"   
  
And then the laughter began, low and malingering sounds of  
bemusement and mockery, intermingled with Belldandy's  
screaming...  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-----------"   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"---OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"   
  
She woke up screaming, eyes open wide, shuddering, to find  
herself being held by Keiichi. Panting in a cold sweat,  
Belldandy found little relief being in the arms of her  
beloved.   
  
"[It's only a dream, Belldandy. It's okay. Everything's  
okay,]" Keiichi whispered to her...   
  
She clung to him for a few minutes as Keiichi reassured  
her. "[It was only a dream, Bell-chan...]"   
  
Sighing, Belldandy laid her head down on Keiichi's lap,   
trying to regain her calmness. It was only a dream after   
all. Skuld was up in the heavens. Belldandy was down here,  
and she was alive.   
  
And she had Keiichi. Things would be fine... she would  
eventually learn to be mortal.   
  
If only there wasn't this little voice in her head, a little  
fear that whispered...   
  
"But what if it wasn't a dream...?"   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Down in the dark woods of the Dreaming...   
  
A man, clad in a white tank top and white pants, slowly  
looked up, running a hand through his short crew-cut hair,  
frowning as he lifted his dark shades covering his eyes...   
  
And revealing two rows of teeth in his eye sockets...   
  
  
-= end part 1=-  
  
  
"I keep saying I feel  
but there is nothing to feel  
just a strange kind of nothing  
where it used to be me..."  
  
-The Cure, "It Used To Be Me"  



	3. The Valley of Unrest

---------------------------------  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
part 2  
The Valley of Unrest  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
---------------------------------  
  
  
"You scarcely exist. You're a dream of a ghost of a memory  
of someone who, one suspects, never existed in the first  
place. Your death will hardly be a real death."   
  
-The Erinyes, Greek Goddesses of Vengeance,  
"The Sandman: The Kindly Ones"   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Urd? Skuld? Anybody?"   
  
It was a dream, thought Belldandy. It had to be a dream.   
Everything was clouded in an ethereal haze, giving the world  
a surrealistic quality. Her footsteps echoed through the  
temple grounds, reverberating through the forest around  
them.  
  
"Keiichi?"   
  
Again, the echo of her voice was the only reply in the empty  
house.   
  
A moment's feeling, intuition, a small voice at the back of  
her mind, something on the subliminal scale whispered for  
her to leave the house, leave it behind, and go to the  
temple.  
  
She moved, though it all felt unreal, like an out of body  
experience, walking slowly and carefully towards the  
building at the center of the grounds. From within came a  
soft and unearthly light, and it evoked fear in her heart.  
  
Within the barren building was a tall mirror covered by a  
huge white cloth. She did not know how she knew that it was  
a mirror, it just seemed to be something that was obvious.  
  
'Look and see', whispered something in her mind.   
  
"No," she replied in a hoarse voice.   
  
The whispers intensified. 'Look and See!'  
  
"No."   
  
Her hand reached out for the cloth.   
  
"No... stop... I don't want to..."   
  
'LOOK AND SEE!'  
  
She pulled the cloth away.   
  
"Stop... I don't..."   
  
The whispers seemed strangely satisfied. 'Too late.'  
  
The cloth slid away, revealing the mirror underneath and a  
blinding light that tore her soul apart...  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"CLEAN UP!"   
  
The faceless, nameless workers of the Dreaming went about  
disassembling the scene quickly. Mervyn, their supervisor,  
watched over all and checked off items on a list.  
  
"Lessee.... full dream, check. Lifestyle revelation, check.   
All props accounted for... hrm." He paused to look at two  
workers as they moved the mirror. "Hey! Careful with that!   
That's loaned material! Da boss is gonna have a fit if we  
break it!"  
  
He eyed the workers warily for a moment more as they hauled  
the item away, then resumed flipping through his clipboard.  
  
"Right, lessee, what's next... aw shit. A John Constantine  
nightmare? Cripes. I hate those."   
  
  
-*-   
  
  
Keiichi stood outside the temple, frowning, rubbing at his  
weary eyes. Days and nights of worry tended to do that to a  
person.  
  
It had been a few days since Belldandy lost her godhood, and  
already the strain was showing on her. She walked around  
like a zombie, moving from task to task as though that were  
all she lived for.   
  
She had finally returned to school, but was listless, so  
much that people had kept stopping Keiichi to ask if  
something was wrong with her. He had no answer for them.   
  
Often at nights, he'd find Belldandy pacing the hallways,  
and when he asked what she was doing, she'd reply in a dull,  
toneless voice that she was cleaning up.   
  
She was a ghost in her own home, and it frightened him.   
  
He suspected she was trying to avoid sleep. He knew that  
when she slept, nightmares and dreams plagued her, for he  
could hear her screaming from her room as she awoke.  
  
He wished he could help. But every time he had come to  
Belldandy, she told him to leave her alone, telling him in   
no uncertain terms that he couldn't help.  
  
But he could have been there. For her. Why didn't she see  
it?   
  
Sighing, Keiichi turned to see if Belldandy was there to say  
goodbye to.   
  
She wasn't.   
  
That seemed to be the norm these days.   
  
And where, he wondered, were her sisters? Why weren't they  
helping her?   
  
With a parting frown at the temple, Keiichi started walking  
away...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
[Yggdrasil: 112th branch diagnostic complete.]  
[1392 irregularities fixed.]  
[48 files restored.]  
  
Urd sighed and pushed her chair away from the terminal.   
Long, seemingly endless hours of checking on the infinite  
files of the Yggdrasil system had taken its toll on her.  
  
"All done with 1 through 112," she droned. "Can I take my  
break now?"  
  
A cold, commanding voice replied. "Check branches 113 to 324  
first."   
  
"But-"   
  
"Check branches 113 to 324 first," repeated the voice, firm   
authority accenting it. "Then take your break."   
  
Urd scowled at her new supervisor. "Fine, fine."   
  
She didn't like this situation, not at all. Urd wondered if  
Belldandy would have made the decision had she known of its  
consequences.   
  
A few feet away from Urd's station, Skuld worked on her own  
terminal. She seemed less enthusiastic about her task than  
she usually was.   
  
"I really hate her," grumbled Skuld, eyeing their new  
overseer.   
  
"I know, I know," whispered Urd in reply, "but it's a  
mandate backed by the Yggdrasil, and no powers that be have  
stepped forth to say otherwise."   
  
Skuld rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, I know. Urd, how  
long is Belldandy going to be away?"  
  
Urd shrugged. "I dunno, kid. As long as the system  
approves it, I guess. Until then, we'll just have to accept  
her in Bell's place, okay?"  
  
"Bugger this crap," muttered Skuld.   
  
"Watch the language, kid," said Urd. "You been hanging  
around with Constantine again?"   
  
The youngest goddess frowned. "I haven't had time, not  
since this bloody shi-"   
  
"AHEM."   
  
"Er... stuff."   
  
Urd gave her sister a quick noogie to the head. "Been  
hanging around Constantine TOO much."   
  
"Hey!"   
  
The two settled into their work.  
  
"I wonder... I wonder how Bell is doing," mumbled Skuld.   
  
"She'll... Bell will be okay. She's stronger than you  
think."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
*squeaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueak*  
  
Muttering to herself in exasperation, Belldandy rubbed away  
at a stubborn little spot on the kitchen counter.  
  
There. All gone.   
  
She looked around her kitchen wearily.   
  
Well.   
  
There certainly wasn't anything left to do. Her homework  
was done. The dishes were washed and put away. The laundry  
had been washed and dried and folded. She had finished her  
shopping. She had dusted and mopped and polished all over  
the temple. She had even washed the windows.   
  
Bringing a hand to her brow, Belldandy wiped away sweat.   
  
There were certain inconveniences about being mortal.   
Sweat, for example, was one of them. Goddesses don't really  
sweat. It wasn't necessary and it seemed rather untidy.   
  
After experiencing it personally, she had confirmed her  
belief. It was, indeed, tremendously messy.   
  
She sighed. It was time to take a bath.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was perhaps the only true pleasure she had as a mortal,  
reclining in the large tub, letting the heat calm her  
nerves.  
  
Belldandy closed her eyes, settling into the hot soothing  
water, tense muscles slowly relaxing.  
  
She could almost feel her skin melting into the water. If  
she leaned back long enough, she could almost hear her   
sister...  
  
"Belldandy...?"   
  
Belldandy sighed, trying to ignore the voice. It was silly,  
really. A figment of her imagination.   
  
She closed her eyes.   
  
"Belldandy? Belldandy, please, listen!"   
  
She blinked, startling, sending water flying from the tub.   
No, no... she was NOT going to fall asleep! Not after all  
those bad dreams she'd been having lately.  
  
Still, the call of the water was almost seductive...   
  
NO!   
  
Quickly, Belldandy scrambled out of the water, grabbing a  
towel, and fled from the room.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Skuld stomped angrily around the room, yelling, "BUGGER!   
BUGGERBUGGERBUGGER! BLOODY FRIGGIN' BUGGERIN' HELL!"   
  
So CLOSE! She had almost managed to contact Belldandy,  
gotten away from her duties just long enough, but...  
grr...  
  
"BUGGER! BLAST! DAMN! FELC-"  
  
"_Ahem_."   
  
Uh oh. Busted.   
  
She turned around, very slowly, a nervous smile on her face.   
"Ah-heh heh, hi there."   
  
"You know you're forbidden to talk to her."   
  
"She's my sister!" raged Skuld.   
  
"Belldandy is no longer your concern."   
  
"That's bloody friggin' bollocks!"   
  
"And it seems you've been badly influenced by Mr.   
Constantine as well."  
  
"Wha-"   
  
"Clean up your language. And until your behavior improves,  
I don't want to see you near that man."   
  
"WHAT?! No friggin' way!"   
  
"I'm sorry, but it's for the best. And don't say Frig."   
  
Skuld fumed, gritted her teeth, opened her mouth to say  
something, then shut it and turned away. She took one  
mighty stomp away, paused, turned around, and lifted a  
defiant middle finger.  
  
"Up yours!"   
  
With the last word now in, she stomped away feeling mildly  
better. She hadn't a clue what it meant, but it seemed to  
be the thing to do when one was mad at someone else. At  
least, that's how it seemed to be used by John.  
  
And she felt better afterward too.   
  
Skuld hesitated for a brief moment, thinking over what she'd  
said. "I'm gonna hafta apologize to Frigga later," she  
muttered.  
  
Behind her, the mysterious figure shook her head, her   
shoulders almost slumping. She looked up, sighing.  
  
"Why do they make my task so much harder?"  
  
There was no answer from above.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Clad in jeans and a simple sweater, Belldandy knelt on the  
temple floor, sipping a cup of Darjeeling tea.   
  
She would drink Darjeeling regularly, especially after   
classes; the hot tea, her favorite, was soothing for her  
nerves. Today, though, it did little for her.   
  
She looked out at the courtyard through the sliding doors.  
Everything seemed so bleary to her eyes.   
  
Or was it the lack of sleep? She'd had so precious little  
recently.   
  
Wait. Why was the world getting dark?   
  
No. Those were her eyelids.   
  
Belldandy blinked hard, trying to keep her eyes open.   
  
This wasn't working.   
  
Her world kept fading to black every couple of seconds.   
  
Mustn't... sleep.   
  
No... she...   
  
couldn't...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was, finally, a good day for Belldandy. Her energy, her  
focus, her drive, it had all returned to her. Everything  
was as it should have been.   
  
Even her sisters, Urd and Skuld, came by for a visit!   
  
It was _such_ a wonderful day, with all their friends coming  
over to visit with music and dancing and so much fun...   
  
And now, at last, with the moon shining above and a lone  
raven flying by, she was alone with her Keiichi.  
  
He sat at the front porch, staring at the stars as she  
emerged from the house. For a moment she simply stood there  
and gazed lovingly at him.   
  
"What?! You sure about this?"   
  
"Hey, I'm just the messenger."   
  
Belldandy blinked. Where did those voices come from? There  
seemed to be nobody here but her and Keiichi. Oh well, she  
probably left the television on.   
  
With a mischievous giggle, she snuck up from behind and  
wrapped her arms around him.   
  
Slowly, Keiichi turned around and gazed at her with rows of  
smiling sharp teeth...   
  
"[K-Keiichi?]"   
  
"[Something wrong?]" he asked, puzzled. The teeth in his  
his eyes seemed to smile at her casually.   
  
"[Ah... ah...]"   
  
"HOLD IT! CUT! STOP THE ACTION!"   
  
Coming out of seemingly nowhere, a pumpkin-headed man  
stepped into the dream, cigar in its mouth and clipboard in  
its arm. On its shoulder a raven was perched.   
  
Keiichi seemed irritated. "We're in the middle of  
something, you know."   
  
"Don't matter," said the pumpkinhead. "Someone screwed up  
in bureaucracy. She ain't supposed to have no nightmare  
tonight."   
  
"No?"   
  
"Nope. See?" The pumpkinhead handed the clipboard to  
Keiichi, who read it carefully then shrugged.   
  
"Waste of my time," grumbled Keiichi.   
  
It was at about this time that Belldandy finally found her  
voice.   
  
"Um... hello?"   
  
"Oh, hey there," said the pumpkinheaded man. "Sorry."   
  
"W-what's..." Belldandy stared in shock as her Keiichi  
morphed into a tall albino man in a white t-shirt and blue  
jeans, and still with the grotesque gaping maws where the  
eyes should have been.   
  
"What's happening... to..." she stuttered.   
  
The pumpkinhead paused and turned towards Belldandy.   
"You're..." He checked his clipboard. "Belldandy, formerly  
of the... whoa, the Norns?"   
  
"I... I guess so."   
  
"We, ah, sorta set up the wrong dream for ya, ma'am.   
Sorry 'bout that."  
  
"If we can't even get dreams right, how are we going to make   
men afraid of nightmares?" grumbled the strange man as he put  
on sunglasses.  
  
"Jeez, Corinthian, go take five or somethin'. Anyway, ma'am,  
I... ma'am?" the pumpkinhead said, looking at Belldandy.  
Belldandy, however, wasn't paying attention.  
  
"Dream?" Belldandy thought about it for a moment, then felt  
a rush of hope. Of course! The Dreaming! If somehow she  
could talk with Dream of the Endless, he could help her  
discover exactly what had happened to her.   
  
"Would it be possible for me to see the lord of this realm?"   
she asked hopefully.   
  
"Nope, sorry," said the raven. "The boss is kinda busy  
right now, family business."   
  
"Awright, guys!" yelled the pumpkinhead. "Clean up!"   
  
Belldandy watched with fascination as faceless minions  
emerged from nowhere and quickly disassembled her dream,  
leaving them in a rather non-descript green pasture.   
  
"When will he be available?" asked Belldandy.   
  
"Don't think he'll be around for a while, lady," said the  
raven. "But if you need help, I guess you could ask E-"   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[-elldandy? Belldandy?]"   
  
Keiichi frowned, lightly shaking Belldandy's shoulder.   
Though he hated to wake her, with as precious little sleep  
as she had had, he had company. He looked over at his  
sister.   
  
Megumi frowned, concern on her face. "[Keiichi, maybe we  
shouldn't wake her up...]"   
  
Belldandy sat up, wearily rubbing her eyes. "[Mmm...   
Keiichi?]"   
  
"[Belldandy, how are you feeling?]"   
  
The former goddess yawned, eyes barely open, and stretched.   
"[A little... *yawn* tired... why?]"   
  
"[You've been asleep a whole day,]" said Keiichi, a worried  
frown on his face. "[We couldn't wake you up until now.]"   
  
Belldandy's groggy expression gave way to one of surprise.   
"[All... day?]"   
  
Brother and sister nodded.   
  
"[Maybe we should have a doctor look at you again?]" asked  
Keiichi.   
  
Belldandy smiled warmly, putting a hand to Keiichi's cheek.   
"[Don't be silly. I'm fine, really.]"   
  
The two of them still watched her, unconvinced. Belldandy  
sighed and slowly stood up. "[See? I'm fine. I guess I  
should start preparing breakfast now.]"   
  
"[Um... Dinner, actually.]"   
  
"[Dinner?]" asked Belldandy. "[Oh my.]" As she turned to  
look out the window, Megumi gave Keiichi a swift elbow.   
  
"[Don't worry about dinner,]" said Megumi. "[I bought us  
some take-out, my treat.]"   
  
"[Oh, you shouldn't have.]"   
  
"[Hey, I figure it was time for me to treat you guys for a  
change,]" said Megumi. "[C'mon, let's eat.]"   
  
"[I'll be there in a moment,]" said Belldandy. "[I'll just  
change into something else first.]"   
  
"[You're _sure_ you're okay?]" asked Keiichi.   
  
"[I'm fine,]" she replied warmly, kissing him on the cheek  
afterwards. "[Thank you for worrying about me. Now go.]"   
  
The Morisato siblings departed, although a bit reluctantly.   
Once they were out of sight, Belldandy leaned against the  
wall and took a few very deep breaths.   
  
In the haze of her mind, the flickering remains of a dream  
danced in her head, slipping out of her memory like sand.   
Something about... pumpkins? Ravens? Was it important?   
  
She wasn't sure.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Whoop, there she went," said Matthew. "Who was she  
again?"   
  
"Belldandy, formerly of the Norns, sez this," replied  
Mervyn, pointing to the clipboard.   
  
"Formerly?" asked Matthew.   
  
Mervyn shrugged. "Hey, don't ask me, I only work here."   
  
"The Norns... ain't they the Viking equivalent of the  
Fates?"   
  
"I guess so," said Mervyn.   
  
"So... if she ain't with them any more... doesn't that lead  
to a cosmic imbalance or something?"   
  
"Nah. I heard they got themselves a replacement goddess.   
Someone with lotsa experience. Everything's fine. At  
least, I hope so. Last thing we need is another  
three-as-one goddess type runnin' amuck here."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Maybe, thought Belldandy, it wasn't such a good idea to go  
to class. Though Keiichi had told her to go on while he  
talked to his friends... it didn't feel right to go without  
her beloved.  
  
"[And if we change the flow to...]"   
  
There was a mantra fading in and out of her head. It went  
like this: Stay awake, have to stay awake.   
  
"[... pressure equals half of...]"   
  
The world faded to black for a moment, then snapped back  
into existence. Belldandy's head jerked upright suddenly,  
causing her classmates to glance at her with a little  
confusion.   
  
A wave of numbness flowed through her again, bringing with  
it another rush of darkness.   
  
"[...very unsafe to operate if...]"   
  
Must stay awake... awake... ah... oh... my...  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It is said a lifetime can pass before your eyes in a  
heartbeat. Therefore, an hour can pass in the blink of an  
eye.   
  
As Belldandy's head snapped back up, she discovered this  
fact.   
  
"[Oh.. oh no!]"   
  
The classroom was empty, very empty. Shame and  
embarrassment settled in on her soul, quickly crushing any  
optimism she may have had for the day.   
  
With a shuffling sort of step, she left the classroom, then  
the building, and finally took a seat by the water fountain.   
She sighed and looked at the reflection of herself, a pale  
shade of her former self. She felt devoid, lacking any  
energy, any vibrancy. Her beauty was gone, all gone,  
replaced by this tired mortal shell.   
  
How could Keiichi love her still?   
  
She smiled quietly.   
  
Keiichi, such a good man. That's why she loved him. She  
hoped he would arrive soon.   
  
It was starting to feel so cold...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[MOOOOOOORRRIIIISAATOOOOOOO!!!]"   
  
Keiichi gulped, looking into Tamiya's big ugly face. Funny,  
how you could see right down Tamiya's throat when his mouth  
was wide open, yelling like that.   
  
"[Yes, sempai?]"   
  
Keiichi wished frevently that he hadn't told the Auto Club  
that Belldandy had been sick most mornings. He was   
missing... no, he HAD missed class fending off questions.  
He should have known better than to talk with his friends,  
because right now, they were thinking...   
  
"[HOW COULD YOU GET BELLDANDY PREGNANT?!]"   
  
"[I didn't... I swear... I... can't... breathe...]" Keiichi  
managed to choke out in a strangled voice. His feet dangled   
well off the ground, frantically moving in mid-air as he sought  
footing.  
  
"[Keiichi?]" a light sweet, though urgent, voice called.   
  
"[HASEGAWA-SAN!]" Tamiya bellowed.   
  
Sora Hasegawa, one of Keiichi's friends, blinked as she leaned  
against the door. She was panting hard.   
  
"[Keiichi? It's Belldandy. She...]"   
  
Feeling a cold sensation seize his heart, Keiichi managed to  
shake himself free of Tamiya's grasp.   
  
In a flash, he was out the door.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
There was a large crowd surrounding the fountain. Keiichi  
had to push his way through the crowd, following after  
Sora, who, for once, was not being polite, bulldozing  
aside anyone in her way.   
  
His heart ran cold when he saw Belldandy's prone body in  
Megumi's lap. Megumi looked up at her brother, tears in her  
eyes.   
  
"[Keiichi? She's... she's... I don't know, she's  
unconscious, and I can't wake her up!]"   
  
No.   
  
No.   
  
Keiichi stood in stunned silence, as ambulance noises roared  
about him.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Thick, humid fog flowed all around Belldandy, obscuring her  
vision so much that she could barely see her feet. She  
stumbled around, feeling entirely disoriented.   
  
"Hello, Belldandy."   
  
The voice. It seemed familiar, somehow, though not in a  
comforting way.   
  
"W-who's there?"   
  
The voice sighed. "Perhaps the fog was a bit over the top,"   
it muttered. With a gust of wind, the fog cleared away,  
revealing an old, unkempt graveyard. She stood on a dirt  
path winding through the graveyard, one that split in two a  
fair distance away. On the horizon, the moon rose between  
twin hills, each crowned by old, sinister houses.  
  
And atop a nearby gravestone, a demoness was perched. Not  
just any demoness, either. This was a humanoid demoness,  
with long, flowing blond hair and black leather attire.  
  
She and Belldandy had some history together.   
  
"Mara?" asked Belldandy, clearly surprised. "What are you  
doing here? What's happening?"   
  
"Well, as far as what's happening, we're in the Dreaming,"   
said Mara, hopping off the tombstone. She leaned against it  
lazily and gave a slight frown. "Ask yourself, Belldandy,  
why do gods and goddesses come here? To the Dreaming?"   
  
"I... oh no." Cold realization washed over Belldandy,   
chilling her to the bone. "No, I can't be."   
  
The Dreaming, she realized, was the place where all  
forgotten deities go.   
  
Right before they die.   
  
"That's right, Bell," said Mara sadly. "This is it, the  
final goodbye."   
  
"No..."   
  
"No, really, think about it," said Mara. "You've been  
growing more and more tired. Some days it's been a real  
struggle just to get by. You've spent more and more time  
asleep, trying to draw on enough power to stay afloat. But  
it's useless. You're powerless, cut off from the touch of  
God."   
  
Belldandy slowly sank to her knees, covering her face with  
her hands, quietly sobbing.  
  
The expression on Mara's face flickered briefly to an  
expression of somber sadness, perhaps even guilt, but was  
replaced quickly by a slightly warm, though slightly  
artificial, smile.  
  
Kneeling next to Belldandy, she put an arm around her and  
squeezed slightly. "Hey, now, it doesn't have to end this  
way."   
  
"It... it doesn't?" asked Belldandy, turning towards the  
demoness.   
  
Mara nodded. "There IS a way out."   
  
"What is it? Please, tell me!"   
  
The grin on Mara's lips increased. "Well, you've fallen  
halfway. C'mon, Belldandy, let's go all the way."   
  
Belldandy's eyes widened and she stood up immediately,  
putting a little distance between them. "No, I couldn't!"   
  
Mara rose and leaned casually on another tombstone. "It's  
not such a bad occupation, you know. You just do the  
opposite of what you were doing before, that's all."   
  
"It wouldn't be right," replied Belldandy with conviction.   
"I won't do it."   
  
"Right?" said Mara with a sarcastic laugh. "At a time like  
this, with your spirit fading to nothing, you're worried  
about what's right? With Heaven forsaking you and lady  
Death approaching, you still worry about what's right?"   
  
"I won't work for the Fallen," said Belldandy quietly.   
"Ever."  
  
Mara swept her hand to the side, creating a shimmering  
portal. Belldandy gasped as she saw herself, unconscious,  
in a hospital bed, a red-eyed Keiichi at her side.  
  
"Even as your beloved Keiichi cries out for you, his warm  
hand holding desperately to your deathly cold one, even now  
you concern yourself with what's right?" With another sweep  
of her arm, the image faded away.   
  
Belldandy felt tears well up again and a knot form in her  
throat. Her voice had left her, driven away by the  
realization of what she was about to lose.  
  
"Come on, Belldandy," said Mara softly. "For Keiichi."   
  
The former goddess closed her eyes and stood in silence,  
deep in thought.   
  
Mara idly ran a finger over the gravestone she had leaned  
against.  
  
"No. I won't do it."   
  
Mara lifted an eyebrow. "Not even for Keiichi?"   
  
Belldandy turned away and began to walk down the path.  
  
Mara opened her mouth to say more, but hesitated and also  
turned away. She shook her head sadly, took one more   
glance at the departing goddess, and disappeared.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Mara's words still stung her heart, but with each step  
Belldandy found herself feeling just a little better. Well,  
"better" wasn't quite the word. "Not quite as miserable"   
described the situation better.   
  
One problem at a time, she told herself. She had to find  
Dream of the Endless, to see if perhaps he would aid her.   
It was a distant hope, he owed her no favors, but it was the  
only hope she had.   
  
She hoped she was on the right path. Only because it seemed  
to be the only path around, she followed where it led.   
Away from the graveyard and over some hills it led, until  
finally it became a fork in the road.   
  
She looked to the path at the right, then the left. To  
either side a hill, and on either hill a house. Each house  
looked equally as menacing: ancient, built of aging wood,  
and the very image of a haunted mansion.  
  
Which to chose? The right, or the left? After staring at  
the houses a moment more, she saw a light at a window, and  
headed towards it.   
  
The wood of the porch creeked eerily as she ascended its  
steps, making her wonder if the place would fall apart at  
her touch. Cautiously, she knocked on the door.   
  
Within the house, muffled voices could be heard.   
  
"Get the door, lard-ass."   
  
"O-okay."   
  
The door opened slowly, its ancient hinges creaking and  
groaning. A squat, portly, black-bearded man in a suit   
opened the door.   
  
"Ah, hello," said Belldandy.   
  
"O-oh, huh-huh-hi thuh-thuh-there," the man stuttered.   
"Wuh-wuh-won't you cuh-come i-in? Juh-join us fuh-for tea."   
  
"Who's at the door, chunky?!" yelled a voice from within the  
house.   
  
"A duh-duh-dreamer, Cuh-cain!"   
  
A tall, lean, bespectacled ginger-haired fellow with a long  
silky beard, also clad in a suit, appeared. "Ah, madame,   
welcome to the House of Mystery," he said, bowing slightly   
and with a smile. "You've arrived just in time for tea.   
Won't you come in?"   
  
She nodded, being overwhelmed with a odd, inexplicable  
feeling. The two gentlemen led her through a corridor to  
a dark and shadowy room, illuminated only by a few oil lamps  
and a crackling fireplace. The furniture was ornate, in an  
old world sort of way, and smelled of tobacco, wine, and days  
gone by.  
  
A raven was perched atop one of the sofas.   
  
"Hiya," it said.   
  
Belldandy looked at the bird curiously. It seemed familiar.   
"Excuse me," she asked. "Have we met?"   
  
"I think so," said the raven. "Oh, wait, yeah, we did meet.   
A few dreams ago, I think. You had the botched nightmare."   
  
"The botched...?"   
  
"The dream with the Cor... the guy who had teeth for eyes?"   
  
"Oh! Oh, that."   
  
"Have a seat, madame," said the tall one. "Allow me to  
introduce ourselves. I am Cain, the obese wonder here is my  
brother Abel, and our avian companion here is Matthew."   
  
Abel waved. "Huh-hi."   
  
"Nice t'meet ya again," said Matthew.   
  
"Cuh-cuh-creme? Suh-sugar?" asked Abel.   
  
"Oh, yes please," said Belldandy.   
  
"Help yourself to the sandwiches," said Cain, indicating a  
plate of finger sandwiches.   
  
"Thank you." Belldandy took a sandwich and nibbled daintily  
on it. It was a ham sandwich, with a bit of lettuce, a  
large chunk of cheddar, and it was delicious.  
  
Abel handed Belldandy a teacup, from which she sipped  
carefully.   
  
"I-is the tuh-tea okay?" Abel asked.   
  
"Oh yes, it's very good," said Belldandy.   
  
"So, miss..."   
  
"Belldandy of the Norns," said Belldandy, pausing a moment  
afterward with a fret and a sigh. "Formerly of the Norns."   
  
Cain clasped his hands together and smiled. "Right, well  
then, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get  
down to business."   
  
She blinked with confusion. "Um, business?"   
  
"Right, my dear," said Cain. "At this moment you've a  
choice. From me, you may hear a mystery." With much less  
enthusiasm, he added, "Or you can hear a secret from Abel  
over there."   
  
"Oh, I see." She looked between the two brothers carefully,  
then asked, "Would it be possible for me to see the Dream  
Lord instead?"   
  
Cain frowned slightly, a bit put off by the request.   
"That... isn't usually the way things go."   
  
"Sorry, but the boss still ain't available," said Matthew.   
  
"Yes, yes, quite unavailable," interrupted Cain quickly.   
"So, as I was saying, a mystery? Or a secret?"   
  
Belldandy fidgeted nervously. "Well, it's just that I need  
to know why..."   
  
"Mm-hm?" said Cain.   
  
"Why is this happening to me?" asked Belldandy.   
  
"Er, what?" asked Cain. "Beg pardon?"   
  
"Why am I dying?" she said, frustration shaking her voice.   
"Why am I not a Goddess any more? Why has this been done to  
me?"   
  
"Oh, er, well..." Cain frowned. "To be honest, that would  
be a mystery to us, a secret for someone else to tell."   
  
"Muh-maybe E-eve cuh-can help?" asked Abel, looking to the  
raven.   
  
"Won't hurt asking, I suppose," said Matthew with a shrug.   
"Hey, lady? I know someone that might have some insight  
into the situation."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
There was a pub.   
  
This was, at first glance, a rather ordinary London pub. It  
was built of dark and finely polished wood, softly lit,  
giving the place a cozy feel.   
  
On second glance, a person might notice the patrons were a  
little odd. A faerie's wings flittered here and there. A  
large individual with an odd Nordic accent and a hammer  
dwelled by the bar sometimes. And on certain days, one  
could even see the occasional angel or devil.   
  
This was the pub of the being known as the Lord of the  
Dance, sanctuary for those needing a break from their roles  
in the supernatural scheme of things.   
  
And this is where Mara, Demoness First Class, had taken to   
coming on a weekly basis, usually with company in a nice,   
quiet booth in the back. Although on this day the company   
was a little late.   
  
Ah, thought the slightly tipsy Mara, I see. In the end good  
will lose because evil isn't late for appointments.   
  
"Hey."   
  
Mara looked up. "S'bout time, Urd."   
  
"Sorry I'm late," said the goddess, taking a seat, careful  
not to spill her own drink. "Taskmistress from heck kept me  
working overtime."  
  
"Ah, I see," said Mara.   
  
"Well, aren't you all cheery today," observed Urd.   
  
"Botched 'nother job, Urd," said Mara. "My superiors won't  
be happy about it."   
  
"Oh well, that's the way it goes," replied Urd. "You win  
some, you lose some."   
  
"It might interest you to know," said Mara, "that I have  
spoken with Belldandy."   
  
Urd raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hey, you didn't-"   
  
Mara waved a hand around. "Nonono, I didn't try to attack  
her or anything. We just talked."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"She's not doing so well, y'know?"   
  
Urd frowned. "No?"   
  
Mara shook her head. "Mm-mm. She's not doing well at all."  
  
"Of course she's not doing well at all! She's mortal!"  
  
"Yes. A mortal." Mara paused. "The girl's in a hospital.  
In a coma." She took a sip of her beer before continuing.  
"Her soul's already set adrift in the Dreaming. And you   
know what _that_ means."   
  
"Oh no!" Urd exclaimed, jumping up from her stool. She  
started towards the TV, then stopped in her tracks, looking  
at Mara suspiciously.   
  
"Mara... why let me know? I mean, you'd know I would have  
gone..."   
  
"I don't suppose you'd buy that I was bored?"   
  
"Not really, no."   
  
The demoness smirked. "Well then, I was bored. Hmph. It's  
just not the same without you guys to mess around with."   
  
"Yeah, right." And Urd departed into the television in a  
bright glowing haze.   
  
Mara leaned back and drank, thinking to herself.   
  
Messing around. Just another demonly thing to do.   
  
Didn't have anything to do with their childhood together.   
  
Nope. Not at all.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Deep in the heart of the Dreaming...   
  
Belldandy walked quietly down a path, following the path of  
a raven.   
  
"C'mon, sister, don't look so down."   
  
"My name is Belldandy."   
  
"Whatever. Look, Bell, Eve's got a lot of knowledge. I  
mean, you know all about her, doncha?"   
  
Belldandy kept walking, politely listening to Matthew.   
  
"Yeah, maybe she's the one who was tossed out of Eden n' all  
that for eatin' the Apple of Knowledge, but... Aw, hell,  
sister, she's Eve, okay?"   
  
They travelled on a bit further before Matthew added, "And  
besides, death ain't always the end."   
  
Belldandy stopped, and looked at Matthew.   
  
"No?" she asked, curious.   
  
"Take me, for example. I wasn't always a raven, y'know.   
Used t'be a man once. Then I died, one thing led to  
another, and now I'm the raven for the Dream Lord. Funny  
how life works, huh?"   
  
Belldandy thought it over for a moment. "Do you think  
there's a chance I'll come back?" she asked.   
  
"Well, er, I dunno, Bell," said Matthew. "But who knows?   
Maybe it's already happened and we just don't know about  
it."   
  
After a few more minutes of travel, they finally came upon a  
modest cave, nestled amongst trees and rocks.   
  
"Yooooooooo hooooooo! Eve! Anybody home?"   
  
A mild voice answered from within the cave. "I can hear you  
perfectly well, Matthew."   
  
Matthew flew into the cave. Momentarily, he came back out,  
perched on the shoulder of a matronly woman with black hair  
streaked by grey.   
  
"Hello, Belldandy," Eve said.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Belldandy knelt quietly down on a large rock, her legs tucked  
under her. Eve seated herself on another boulder, brushing a  
stray strand of raven-black hair back from her face. "So,   
Belldandy, what brings you here?"   
  
Quietly, slowly, Belldandy told her tale. About how she was  
a mortal one day, with her sisters gone. About her lack of  
energy these days, about how she had come to the Dreaming.  
Eve listened quietly, hands clasped in her lap, Matthew  
perched on her shoulder.   
  
At last, when Belldandy had completed her tale, Eve sighed.   
  
"I wish I could help you, Belldandy."   
  
Belldandy frowned, leaning forward. "But you're as old as  
mankind itself. Don't you know anything, ANYTHING that can  
help?"   
  
Eve put a finger to her chin, thinking. When she spoke, it  
was with a solemn, low tone.   
  
"Some say that gods and goddesses were created out of need.   
Man was alone. Alone... in a world that he understood  
nothing of."   
  
Eve stood up, and began to pace slowly around the area. "As  
generations passed, mankind's innate need to explain the  
inner workings... and unfairness... of the universe led them  
to create stories. Gods and Goddesses were born from men's  
dreams, from that rationale that everything must have an  
logical explanation."   
  
Eve turned to look at Belldandy, a small smile on her lips.   
"Even if the explanation is Magic.   
  
"Some gods were born to explain the sun, and how it crossed  
the sky. Some goddesses were born to explain the changing  
of the seasons. And some were born to explain the mystery  
that is Fate...   
  
"As mankind grew and evolved, some gods died and returned to  
the dreams from which they came. New gods were born. Others  
adapted and became different gods..."   
  
Belldandy quietly whispered, "The Reconfiguration."   
  
Eve inclined her head affirmatively.   
  
Matthew cawed. "But what about why Bell's here? Can't she  
undergo that Reconfiguration or whatever it is?"   
  
Belldandy looked at Eve with hope. "I have already been  
through it many times, though I remember little of previous  
incarnations. Can't I do it again?"   
  
Eve looked away quietly. "I'm afraid not." She looked back  
at Belldandy with sorrow and pity. "Have you woken up  
recently?"   
  
Belldandy frowned. "No."   
  
"Gods and Goddesses do dream, but... sometimes they give  
themselves willingly over to the dreams... and go Beyond."   
  
Matthew looked at Eve. "So what does that mean?"   
  
Eve regarded Belldandy forlornly. "She may have returned to  
the Dreaming...  
  
"... to die."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Streaking through the realities like a blazing comet, Urd  
rushed toward the realm of dreams, praying it wasn't too  
late.  
  
She didn't know what she'd do when she got there, she didn't  
know what could be done, but Urd was never one to stand by  
and do nothing.  
  
The continuous blur of lights around her suddenly halted,  
her motion through the worlds brought to a jarring halt in  
the empty void of Limbo.  
  
And not of her own choice.  
  
"Hey! What the-"  
  
"Where are you going, Urd?" asked a gentle, yet firm voice.  
  
"Let me go!" Urd yelled.  
  
"You're going to see her, yes? I thought I made it clear  
we would no longer interfere in her life."  
  
"She's dying, damn you! In the Dreaming and fading away!"  
  
"Dying?" asked the other, puzzled.   
  
"That's right! Dying! It wasn't supposed to be this way!"  
  
"I see." There was a brief pause, as if possibilities were  
being considered, options being weighed. "I will see her."  
  
Urd looked quite astonished. "You'll do it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Let's go, then!"  
  
"You will stay here."  
  
"What?!" Urd tried to leave Limbo, but found herself  
trapped within the dimension. "Hey! Wait a minute!"   
  
With the whisper of the wind, a bright and shining entity   
streaked forth, blazing a trail to the realm of Dream.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"C'mon, cheer up, kid. Maybe Eve's wrong."   
  
Belldandy kept walking down the path away from Eve's cave,  
silent in her despair.   
  
Matthew, never one to leave a pretty girl in dire straits,  
tried to think of another way to help.   
  
"Hey, wait a minute Bell, there's one more person we can  
ask! Lucien!"   
  
Belldandy didn't seem terribly encouraged. "Who?"   
  
"Lucien, the guy that runs the library down at the palace.   
He knows a lot of stuff. And hey, who knows, we might find  
something helpful in the books."   
  
Across the dreamscape they traveled once more, passing  
sights and dreams of endless varieties. The greatest hopes  
of mankind, as well as its darkest, its most beautiful  
deeds, and most sickening perversions, all took place in the  
dreams around them in a surreal forever show, until at last  
they reached the palace of the Dream King.   
  
The guardians of the castle blocked their way. The wyvern,  
gryphon, and the hippogriff loomed over the stairs leading  
to the doors of the Castle.   
  
"Hello, Matthew. Are you here for Dream?" the gryphon  
inquired.   
  
"No, I'm here cuz I'm takin' someone to the Library,"  
Matthew said, perching on Belldandy's shoulder.   
  
"Who is she?" the hippogriff asked, eyeing Belldandy  
cautiously.   
  
Belldandy cautiously replied, "I am Belldandy. I... I hoped  
to speak with the Lord Shaper... but..."   
  
"Our lord is busy. However, the Library is open to all.   
Stay to your path, and it will take you there," the wyvern  
said.   
  
Matthew turned his head towards Belldandy. "Let's go."   
  
Belldandy nodded her thanks, and walked into the Castle of  
Dream.   
  
They made their way through majestic halls and narrow  
corridors, past faeries and figments, until at last they  
arrived at a wooden door. The sign on it read:   
  
"The Library of Dreams  
The Management  
cannot be held  
responsible for  
anything lost or  
found within.   
Signed  
Lucien  
Chief Librarian"   
  
Belldandy looked quietly at Matthew, who nodded his head.   
She opened the door, and they entered the Library.   
  
Endless rows and columns of books were stacked here,  
stretching skyward with spiraling staircases and to the  
horizon through countless archways.   
  
"Hey Lucien! Where are ya?" Matthew cawed.   
  
A thin calm voice answered in the distance. "Over here,  
Matthew."   
  
"C'mon, this way." And Matthew glided through the air  
towards the voice, Belldandy following morosely.  
  
What greeted Belldandy's eyes when they arrived was a thin  
tall gaunt man with large horn-rimmed glasses with thinning  
brown hair. She froze, hesistant.   
  
The man bowed to Belldandy gracefully. "Good day, madam,  
how may I help you?"   
  
"... excuse me... um..." Belldandy stammered, looking down  
at her feet.   
  
After a few awkward moments, Matthew took over, and quietly  
explained. "Look, Lucien, she's not here to check out a  
book. Well, she's here to look at a book, yeah, but she's  
not here in the Dreaming to check out a book. She's here  
to... well, she's stoppin' here on her way to... uh...  
Beyond."   
  
Lucien put a hand up to his mouth. "Oh dear."  
  
Belldandy looked back up. "We thought m-maybe one of the  
books...?"   
  
Lucien frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm...   
there might be a few. Come, I will assist you in your  
search." And he strode down the aisle.   
  
Belldandy followed, Matthew perched on her shoulder, as  
Lucien prattled while he walked down the aisles, commenting  
on tales never written while examining the numerous rows of  
books.   
  
"... the works of Dr. Susan Calvin are a bit dry,   
unemotional, but perhaps you might want to consider Dr.   
Seldon's writings on the science of... ah!" Lucien stopped  
in front of a row, and pulled out a thin book.   
  
"Perhaps you might want to use that," Lucien said,  
indicating a table nearby, as he handed Belldandy the book.  
  
Belldandy took the book, and headed towards the table  
without a word.   
  
Matthew exchanged glances with Lucien, and then cawed.   
"Kid, I'll be with Lucien. Come get me when you're done,  
willya?"   
  
Belldandy nodded wordlessly, as Matthew flew off her  
shoulder. Lucien bowed once, and retreated, Matthew  
following him, but Belldandy did not notice.   
  
She ran her hand down the spine of the book, frowning,  
before turning to the front, to look at the title:   
  
MORTAL FATES  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
The waiting room was packed, as friends, and some not many  
would consider her friends, awaited news of what ailed   
Belldandy. Within a silent room, the silence disturbed   
only by the steady beep of a vital signs monitor, Keiichi   
kept vigil over his beloved.  
  
He never liked hospitals. They were sterile, cold,  
unfeeling places. Nurses bustled by here and there,   
clinical, robotic in their motions.   
  
But he was stuck, sitting by Belldandy's side, holding her  
hand, trying to be there for her.  
  
After all the times she was there for him, there was  
absolutely no way he was leaving her side now. Even after  
hours waiting in the hospital for a response, watching  
doctors come and go, examining her.   
  
The doctors and nurses that came and went were nothing more  
than phantoms, whispering words he didn't care to hear.  
  
"I'm sorry, son..."  
  
"She's slipped into a coma..."  
  
"Not sure why..."  
  
"All we can do is wait..."  
  
Their words didn't matter. They didn't matter. He took her  
hand in his, and he held on the belief that no matter what,  
she would come back to him.  
  
No matter what, he believed.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Belldandy stared at the book, utterly astonished at the  
pages she had opened to. Here was her thoughts, here was a  
part of her LIFE on Earth, in a book for all to read! Part  
of her was shocked and angered as she turned the page,  
reliving the beginning of her slide into death.   
  
Another part of her was scared. If the book truly followed  
the events of her life...  
  
She skipped through most of the book, cutting to the end.  
  
Blank pages.  
  
She frowned.  
  
Belldandy flipped back a few pages and read...  
  
Belldandy flipped back a few pages and read...  
  
A chill ran down her spine, seeing her actions placed into  
words.  
  
A chill ran down her spine, seeing her actions  
placed into words.  
  
As the words slowly appeared on the page, she closed the  
book and pushed it away. It felt wrong, unnatural, to read  
her own story. It felt like a taint on the soul.  
  
Belldandy stood, deciding to go in search of Matthew and  
Lucien, when a slight breeze caressed her face. She felt a  
pull, an urge, a whisper of something in the wind that  
lifted her from her feet and led her through the endless  
corridors. Silently, serenely, she stepped out from the  
library and through the hallways of the keep once more.  
  
Through corridors and passageways she walked, until coming  
upon the entrance of a long hallway.  
  
She peered within and gasped.  
  
Lining the passage were mirrors, countless varieties and  
sizes of mirrors, each slightly lit with a life of its own.  
  
'Look and see' whispered a voice in her head, as cool and  
distant as the stars. Belldandy put a hand to her mouth  
in shock. She recognized the voice.  
  
It was her own.  
  
Trembling, her breath ragged and knees weak, she entered the  
hall of mirrors. She nearly jumped back in surprise, as the  
mirrors suddenly shone, nearly blinding her as she raised an  
arm over her eyes.  
  
The lights slowly faded, down to a tolerable level.  
Belldandy looked around once more and gaped in wonder.  
  
Surrounding her, in every mirror, were the infinite lives  
of Belldandy. Mother, lover, teacher, leader, Goddess,  
Demoness, healer, destroyer, images of worlds only dreamed  
of and worlds never thought of held within each mirror and  
moving slowly.  
  
Filled with wonder, she continued down the hallway and  
looked into each one, her mind amazed beyond words. One  
mirror caused her heart to soar, as she saw one image of  
her, clad in a bridal gown, kissed tenderly by a tuxedo-clad  
Keiichi, as confetti and rice slowly fell all around them.  
In the background all their friends were cheering, Keiichi's  
family, their friends from Nekomi Tech, and even Mara.  
  
Everyone was so very happy.  
  
She reached out to touch the image, slowly, carefully,  
fearing that the vision would fade to nothing. A hair's  
breadth before touching it, she drew her arm away. Somehow,  
she knew it wasn't right to touch the image. With longing  
in her heart, she turned away and continued her journey.  
  
She continued onward, until she came to the end of the  
hallway. Marking its end was a single, majestic, shining  
mirror, its surface nearly blinding with light. Within,  
through the blinding glare, she could see herself, as she  
once was.  
  
The Goddess.  
  
Her hair flowed around her, supported by a silent wind, and  
her eyes ablaze with the raw power of creation.   
  
Belldandy watched in amazement, before moving closer. It   
was then that she realized that the mirror was mimicking her  
actions.  
  
She frowned, it frowned. She tilted her head, it tilted  
its head.  
  
"What is wrong?" the other's voice asked, so much like   
Belldandy's own, as her doppleganger looked upon her with a  
soft smile and indifferent eyes.  
  
"I am dying," she replied sadly. "I am dying and I don't   
understand. It hardly seems fair."  
  
"Life is not supposed to be fair. It simply is."  
  
"Why have I been cast from Heaven? I was once a Goddess,  
and attended to my duties well. Was the love of a mortal  
so wrong?"  
  
Her other's expression changed to that of concern. "You  
don't seem to understand, Belldandy. You were never a  
Goddess."  
  
"What?" asked Belldandy, startled at the answer the other's  
voice gave her.  
  
"You seem to have a misplaced belief in your identity," her  
other's voice echoed to her softly.  
  
"No," Belldandy said with a shaking voice. "I am Belldandy  
of the Norns, Goddess First Class, caretaker of the   
Yggdrasil, and-"  
  
"Your name is Belldandy," the other's voice interrupted, in  
a soft yet detached tone, "and all you are is a mortal. You  
were a mortal, and you will die a mortal."  
  
"Who are you?!" Belldandy screamed.  
  
The mirror rippled as the image in the mirror began moving  
slowly towards Belldandy. Its surface rippled, as if made  
of water, as the goddess within emerged.  
  
"I am Necessity..."  
  
Slender refined hands reached for the sides of the mirror  
frame, and took hold, allowing a well-formed body to step  
out on delicately slippered feet.  
  
"I am the weaver of the destiny of men..."  
  
The other reached back with a hand to send her tresses   
flowing in the air as she smiled, a smile that seemed to  
be warm, yet felt empty.   
  
"I am the Goddess of the Here and Now..."  
  
Pale clear blue eyes opened to regard Belldandy   
dispassionately.  
  
"I am Verthandi of the Norns."  
  
  
-= end part 2=-  
  
  
"I saw it in the mirror, I saw it in my face  
That I'm no longer needed, anyone can take my place  
I saw it in the mirror when I look into my eyes"  
  
- Abba,  
"I Saw It In The Mirror"  



	4. The Bells

---------------------------------  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
part 3  
The Bells  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
---------------------------------  
  
"We make choices. No one else can live our lives for us.  
And we must confront and accept the consequences of our  
actions."  
  
-Morpheus, the King of Dreams,  
"The Sandman: The Kindly Ones"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Hello Lucien."  
  
Lucien looked up from a desk in a far corner of the Library  
of Dreams.  
  
"Ah, Corinthian, welcome. Is there something I can do for  
you?"  
  
The nightmare known as the Corinthian shrugged and casually  
readjusted his shades. "No, just here to look around."   
  
He walked over to the desk, looking at the slim book lying  
open on it with a curious expression on his face. "What   
were you reading?"  
  
Lucien looked back at the book he was reading. "It's only  
a fairy tale of a boy and a goddess."  
  
"You seem somber about it."  
  
Lucien nodded. He closed the book slowly, gazing at the  
cover:   
  
MORTAL FATES  
  
The librarian looked up at the nightmare sadly.  
  
"Not every fairy tale has an happy ending."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
In the hall of mirrors, within the Dream Lord's castle in  
the Dreaming, a goddess and a mortal were meeting again   
for the first time.  
  
"Hello, Belldandy," said the goddess calmly.  
  
"Hello, Verthandi," replied the mortal, numb with shock.  
  
There was a terrible awkward moment of silence. Belldandy  
could only stare at the divinity.  
  
The goddess looked at the mortal and frowned. "You seem  
unwell, Belldandy."  
  
"I... I'm not feeling well," replied the mortal. "I... I  
don't understand. What is happening? Who are you? And...  
if you are the goddess... who am I?"  
  
Verthandi seemed puzzled. "You don't recall?"   
  
Belldandy shook her head.  
  
"Odd. I suppose it may have been trauma from our  
separation," guessed Verthandi. "Mortal shells are so  
very fragile."   
  
"I still don't understand what-"  
  
"You," said Verthandi, locking gazes with Belldandy, "are  
all that holds Keiichi dear and is held dear by him. Our  
kindness, our tenderness, our hopes and dreams, and most  
importantly, our devotion and passion for him."   
  
"Then you are..."  
  
"I am all that is devoted to being a Goddess. I am our  
divine birthright, our inner peace, our confidence, our  
devotion to the will of our Lord, our dedication to what  
must be done for the greater good."  
  
"But which of us is real?" asked Belldandy.  
  
"You are as real as I," Verthandi replied.  
  
"Then... I'm... mortal."  
  
Verthandi nodded. Belldandy staggered back, eyes still   
wide in shock and disbelief, and shook her head slowly.  
  
"Who did this to us?" asked Belldandy. "When?"  
  
"Why, we did this to ourselves."  
  
"We... we did?"  
  
"It's true," Verthandi answered in a calm voice. "When   
we were one, the goddess Belldandy, we had decided this   
was the only solution."  
  
"But... but why?"   
  
"In quite a few events, most recent amongst them the  
incident with the trickster Constantine, we had demonstrated  
that our loyalty to Keiichi was stronger than our loyalty to  
our heavenly duties." Verthandi took a brief moment to cast  
a disapproving look at Belldandy.  
  
"We had feared that the powers that be would see this and  
separate us from him," continued the Goddess, "and so we  
took steps to make sure we would not be separated from him.   
Thus, we kept our promise to him, that we would be with him  
always."   
  
Belldandy stood still, her mind churning through what her  
other had said, but was distracted by the sound of wings  
flapping through the air. A familiar voice called out.   
  
"Hey, kid, you there? You shouldn't be wanderin' around  
in a place like this... this here place's the raw stuff of  
dreams. Very dan- HOLY SHIT!"  
  
If it were possible for a bird to skid to a stop in mid-flight,  
Matthew did so.  
  
The raven nearly crashed into the wall, just managing to correct  
himself in time, landing on the floor. He looked up, staring  
at the two Belldandys.  
  
Verthandi arched a thin refined eyebrow at Matthew.  
  
Matthew stammered, unsure who to direct queries to. "Uh...  
'cuse me, Bell, you okay?" he asked.  
  
Belldandy nodded wordlessly.  
  
Matthew blinked, and then looked at Verthandi, who met his  
gaze with a cool look of her own. He kept on looking at  
Belldandy and Verthandi, his head moving back and forth  
between them slowly.   
  
He thought on the situation, and wondered if Belldandy had  
set loose her own nemesis, like that idiot brother of  
Nuala's did. The lack of antlers on the new arrival's head  
was a good sign, at least.  
  
"Um...," said Matthew tentatively. "This yer sister or  
something?"  
  
"I am Verthandi."  
  
"Uh-huh," said Matthew flatly. "And you're related...?"  
  
"I am her," said Verthandi, tilting her head slightly to  
Belldandy, "and she is me."  
  
Matthew blinked again. "Er, what?"  
  
"Not long ago, this mortal and I were one," Verthandi  
said coolly.  
  
"Oh. I see. I think."  
  
"And you are?" Verthandi asked.  
  
"I'm Matthew. Matthew the Raven. Pleased to meetcha, I  
think. Hey, Bell, you don't look well."   
  
Belldandy slowly shook her head. "I am fine... I think."  
  
Verthandi looked at her other self doubtfully. "There is  
still the matter of your health. You are deteriorating  
abnormally, I see."   
  
Belldandy nodded, still frowning.  
  
Verthandi frowned and approached Belldandy, the goddess'  
eyes carefully examining her. "We hadn't anticipated this  
problem."   
  
"What problem?"  
  
"Apparently, We are still linked by the smallest of threads:  
a touch of the divine."   
  
"Huh? What're you saying, lady? That Belldandy is still..."  
Matthew cawed.  
  
"... A goddess? Not quite. But neither is she completely mortal.  
She has the body of a mortal, but... this is most perplexing."  
  
Belldandy, who had been silently looking down at the floor for a  
while, slowly shook her head. "No it isn't."  
  
She raised her head to look at Verthandi.  
  
"We did keep our promise to Keiichi, after all... a Goddess  
to stay with him forever."   
  
Verthandi slowly nodded her head. "I see. We had not considered  
that. Keiichi's wish was that a goddess like us would remain with  
him forever. And so the separation did not go smoothly."  
  
"Is that why I've been feeling so weak?" asked Belldandy.  
  
"Probably," said Verthandi. "We share the same reservoir of  
power, but yours is a mere drop of it. The power is mostly  
mine." Verthandi tilted her head again, then slowly and  
gently paced around. "If your mortal shell thought itself  
still divine, it probably would have tried to rely on the  
power, and found its supply severely lacking. And that  
would have triggered a domino effect of deterioration."   
  
Verthandi stopped her pacing and nodded, seemingly satisfied  
at her own theory. "Yes, that's probably it."   
  
"Can... can you fix it?" asked Belldandy hopefully.  
  
"Yes. All we need to do is become one again," replied  
Verthandi.   
  
"Hey, that's great!" said Matthew.  
  
"Wonderful. Let's do it!" Belldandy exclaimed. She started  
to walk towards Verthandi.  
  
Verthandi regarded her dispassionately. Cool lips parted  
to say a single word.  
  
"No."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Skuld had a problem.  
  
The Yggddrasil was currently set to manual control, which  
meant SOMEONE had to watch over it. She couldn't set it to  
autonomous or semi-autonomous mode because the unbelievable  
witch that was Verthandi (she refused to think of her as her  
sister) had set the controls so that only she could  
authorize a mode shift.   
  
Verthandi was out at the moment.  
  
And so was Urd.  
  
And that left Skuld to look over the Yggdrasil, all by  
herself, the large, room-sized rows of control panels with  
all its flashing lights and odd beeps going off at what  
seemed like once every second.   
  
-beep-beep-beep-  
  
Skuld jumped up with a noise of dismay.  
  
"WAH!"  
  
She ran over to a control panel and reached for a flashing  
red button.  
  
-click-  
  
*sigh*  
  
-beep-beep-beep-  
  
"WAH!"  
  
-click-  
  
*sigh*  
  
This brutal pattern repeated itself again and again, running  
Skuld ragged and setting her nerves on edge. She could  
handle the job, it was just the hectic pace that she  
detested.  
  
WHERE was Verthandi?!?!? WHERE was Urd?!?!?  
  
-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Meanwhile, in Limbo...  
  
"GET ME OUTTA HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Raven and mortal stared at the goddess in shock.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let us do that," Verthandi said.  
  
"WHAT?! Why not?!" Matthew shouted.  
  
"I'm dying!" protested Belldandy. "You can't let me die!"  
  
"Again, I truly am sorry, Belldandy. But I'm afraid that  
isn't in the best interests of the Heavens. The Yggdrasil  
is functioning far better than it ever has, at full  
efficiency and with no defects. Our duty is being fulfilled  
beyond expectations and the world as a whole benefits from  
it."   
  
"But... our promise to Keiichi!"  
  
"You were fated to die. What matters if it is now or 50 years  
hence?"  
  
Matthew flapped his wings irritably. "Hey now, lady, you're  
not being fair!"  
  
"Fate isn't fair," said Verthandi. "It just is."  
  
"But Keiichi..." said Belldandy weakly.  
  
"What is the sadness of one man compared to the wellfare of  
millions? I'm afraid our duty takes precedence over  
Keiichi."  
  
"Now wait a minute, lady, you can't just..." Matthew cawed.  
  
"Our fates were decided the moment we chose between duty and...  
love." Verthandi's face briefly narrowed at the last word.  
  
"But she's going to die!" Matthew yelled.  
  
"Unfortunate. Another unexpected effect of our separation.  
But the person who would choose love over duty is Belldandy.  
I am not she."  
  
"What about... what about our promise to Keiichi?" asked  
Belldandy.  
  
Verthandi blinked, then frowned.  
  
"There does seem to be a contract to fulfill."  
  
She pondered briefly, and then inclined her head.  
  
"When you leave... I will watch over him." With those  
words, Belldandy was stunned to silence, resigned to her  
doom as she realized her other did not and would not join  
with her again.  
  
It was over.  
  
The goddess turned her back on the mortal and once more  
walked towards the mirror, ignoring Matthew's protests.   
Her final words before disappearing into the mirror floated  
in the air, words of comfort that didn't comfort at all.  
  
"I'm sorry, but this is what must be."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
In a goddess' wake, two confused souls were left.  
  
Belldandy sank slowly to her knees, holding her face in her   
hands.  
  
Matthew hemmed and hawed awkwardly, waiting in front of   
Belldandy.  
  
After a long silence, broken only by intermittent sobs from  
Belldandy, Matthew started to ramble nervously.  
  
"You know... I didn't understand why a mortal would be in   
the Dreaming to... uh, pass on. That happens only if you're  
a vortex or something, and in that case, Dream would kill ya,  
but that's not the case, right? But if y'still a goddess...  
then no wonder yer in the Dreaming..."  
  
Belldandy looked up, tears still streaming down her face.  
"That's right... if I still have some godhood in me..."  
  
She darted to her feet, almost hopeful, and ran to a mirror.  
  
Reaching out cautiously, Belldandy closed her eyes and  
concentrated. She tried to feel for that sense of divinity,  
but there was none.  
  
How could that be?  
  
She sighed... wishing so much that she could see...  
  
And the mirror flashed.  
  
Before her eyes, a scene of tragedy unfolded. Keiichi, his  
face frozen in shock, looked into a room bustling with  
doctors and nurses. At the center of their attention was  
her mortal shell, still pale and unmoving.  
  
She turned away, eyes threatening to burst into tears.  
  
"Aw... I'm sorry, kid."  
  
Belldandy said nothing, only looking down at the floor with  
unbearable sorrow. Matthew fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure  
what else to say at this moment, except...  
  
"Let's get outta here, huh?" suggested Matthew. "It ain't a  
good idea to stay in the hall of mirrors too long."  
  
Belldandly nodded, though still staring at the ground, and  
the the two of them solemnly began to walk out.  
  
And then Belldandy hesitated, her eyes widening and her head  
rising up to stare at an unknown something in the distance.  
  
"Something calls me," she whispered.  
  
"Huh? I don't hear anything."  
  
"Can't you hear it? The sound of silence and yet of musical chorus..."  
  
Belldandy turned haunted eyes to Matthew.  
  
"The Beyond is calling me."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Skuld?"  
  
The eldest of the Norns sighed, gazing at the youngest with  
sympathy. Skuld sat at her station but was silent for the  
entire time. Her eyes, red and watery, were firmly locked  
on the screen before her and her fists typed at the keyboard  
with a bit more force than neccessary.  
  
"Hey, Skuld..." Urd placed a hand gently on her sister's  
shoulder, then found herself wrapped in a hug as Skuld  
cried.  
  
"It's not fair! It's not right!"  
  
"I know, kid. I know. I'll think of someth-"  
  
The doors of the Yggdrasil opened at that moment, followed  
by the entrance of Verthandi. Urd and Skuld both looked at  
her with unwelcoming gazes. Verthandi looked at the both of  
them, feeling confused at the hostility.  
  
"Hello," said Verthandi uncertainly. "I'm back."  
  
Skuld removed herself from Urd's embrace, wiping the tears  
with her sleeve, and tried to look defiantly at Verthandi.  
She managed to do it for a second.  
  
And then she ran out of the room, crying again.  
  
"Was there something I missed?" asked an increasingly  
puzzled Verthandi.  
  
"Yeah," replied Urd angrily. "Belldandy."  
  
"Belldandy?"  
  
"Yeah, _Belldandy._ I see you two aren't back together  
yet."  
  
"No, I-"  
  
"WHY NOT?!"  
  
Verthandi was silent for a moment, then regained her  
composure and met Urd's stare. "It's the natural course of  
things. You should understand that more than anyone.  
Mortals don't live forever, it's the way of the world."  
  
"That's NOT the point!" yelled Urd. "Look, this is wrong on  
so many levels! Deities DON'T run around separating  
themselves!"  
  
"You do it all the time," noted Verthandi dryly.  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"It was our decision, hers and mi-"  
  
"Yes, we've covered THAT before, thank you. But I was  
hoping you'd come to your senses and stop this nonsense on  
your own." Urd sighed and took a seat, rubbing her  
forehead. "You always were the wisest of us, but I guess  
that's changed."  
  
"My judgement isn't clouded by emotion."  
  
"No, it's clouded by a lack of it." Urd pointed a finger at  
Verthandi and said, "I want you to think for a moment.  
Think about all the problems you've taken on as Belldandy,  
okay? Now ask yourself how you, Verthandi, would have  
solved them instead. And then you tell me if it would have  
honestly been better your way."  
  
"I'm sure I would have come up with an adequate solution,"  
replied Verthandi calmly.  
  
"But would it have made everyone happy?" asked Urd. "No, of  
course not. You don't even know the meaning of the word  
anymore."  
  
Verthandi seemed surprised by this, and to some small  
degree, shocked. "I don't know... happiness."  
  
"You can't even sympathize with Skuld, I bet. Oh, you can  
logically deduce why, but you really don't _understand_ it."  
  
There was a part of Verthandi, a very small part, one that  
was but a minute part of the whole.  
  
It had a sudden and strong urge to go for a walk.  
  
"I... I'll be back in a moment," said Verthandi.  
  
"Hey, wait! I'm not done-!"  
  
But Verthandi had already silently disappeared.  
  
"Great, just great," Urd muttered, returning to work.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Time is relative, and to deities this is especially so.  
  
In a matter of seconds that stretched for what seemed like  
hours, Verthandi wandered the world.  
  
She roamed, viewing the world as only a deity could. All  
was hers to witness, the majestic mountains, the darkest  
chasms, the cities swarming with people, and the small  
rustic towns.   
  
Verthandi witnessed moments of war, of hope, of dark human  
depravity and pinacles of human achievement.  
  
She felt nothing.  
  
All of God's creation before her, enough to make any mortal  
reel with wonder, and she hadn't felt anything.  
  
Verthandi thought back to the times when she saw these  
wonders as Belldandy. There were plenty of emotions she had  
felt then, though remembering what emotion was felt was not  
at all the same as feeling it.  
  
As her consciousness traveled through London, she felt a  
familiar aura. It smelled of brimstone and fire, clearly a  
minion of Hell.  
  
As she approached, she recognized it.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Mara."  
  
The demoness froze in her tracks, feeling the surge of holy  
power emerging behind her. It was bound to be trouble,  
especially with the levels of power she was feeling.  
  
In fact, the power signature did feel somewhat familiar...  
  
Mara turned around slowly.  
  
"Bellda... oh." The demoness raised an eyebrow as she  
looked Verthandi over cautiously. "Verthandi, I presume."   
  
The goddess nodded.  
  
Mara rubbed her chin in thought. "I heard the rumors, but I  
didn't think they were true."   
  
"Up to something, Mara?"  
  
"Me? No, just got through having a few rounds down at the  
Arcadian's," she said casually, though she still regarded  
Verthandi warily. "Surely there's nothing wrong with that."  
  
"If that is all you were up to," replied Verthandi.  
  
Mara ignored the implied suggestion, instead looking at  
Verthandi contemplatively.  
  
"Then again, you're hardly in a position to stop anything I  
might start," Mara mused. "Even if I did."  
  
Verthandi's expression became puzzled. "Is that so?"  
  
"Don't believe me?" asked Mara. "Let's take a walk,  
half-goddess. I'm suddenly in a gloating mood."  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
The demoness and goddess walked through Tatington Green  
Park, finally settling upon a bench. Around them, the  
people of London walked to and fro.  
  
"Ah, a beauuuuuuutiful day, isn't it? Just perfect for a  
little deviltry..."  
  
"I will not permit that."  
  
"Permit? Since when did Evil have to ask Good for  
permission?"  
  
"You know what I mean, Mara."  
  
Mara smiled, her eyes roaming about the crowds of people  
around them. "What do you think I could do to them?"  
  
"That is what I'm here to see," said Verthandi. "And to  
stop."  
  
"Well, here's news for you. You can't stop a thing."  
  
Verthandi raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I  
can't?"  
  
Mara ignored Verthandi's question, instead waving a lazy  
hand to the crowds around them. "What do you see, Goddess,  
when you look at them?"  
  
"Is there a point to this?" asked Verthandi.  
  
Mara ignored the question. "They're nobodies. Just little  
humans. Why are you wasting your time protecting them?"  
  
"Because it is my duty, my responsibility," said Verthandi  
confidently.  
  
"You really don't give a damn about them, do you? It's  
always duty, duty, duty."   
  
I fail to see your point," said a somewhat irritated  
Verthandi.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't," sneered Mara. "O-kaaaaay, let's  
look at the bigger picture, the whole global thing. I know  
it's a cliche by now, but let's go with a golden oldie:  
war."  
  
"What of it?"  
  
"You know how us denizens of hell like to stir things now  
and then, touch off a little war here and there. Just what  
_are_ you going to do to stop us?"  
  
"Stop the demons."  
  
"Right, you stop the demons. But conflict comes naturally  
to man, so what do you do once the people begin their little  
hate-spurned war?"  
  
Verthandi thought on this for a moment. "Kill the  
generals."  
  
This surprised Mara.  
  
Vethandi noticed. "The needs of the many..."  
  
Mara rolled her eyes. "Oh please, spare me the Trekkisms."  
  
"I was joking," said Verthandi flatly. "I do have a little  
sense of humor left."   
  
"Very little," quipped Mara.  
  
"I will find a way, given that I have the proper information  
on why the conflict has occurred. I am sure of it."  
  
Mara nodded. "Okay, fine, sure. I'll admit you might find  
a way like that. But let's take this to a more personal  
level." She pointed at the homeless man, huddled underneath  
the bench. "See him? Dead in a week."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's a story told lots of times over. Lost the family,  
lost the job, future looks bleak and the past is nothing but  
a reminder of what he'll never have again. The man's got no  
reason to live and is sinking deep into clinical depression.   
He's nothing but a burden on society, wouldn't you agree?"   
  
"Yes, I would."  
  
"Ah, so we agree that he's damned."  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"There are homeless shelters that he could seek aid from."  
  
"Well, that solves the homeless part."  
  
"And there are always jobs somewhere."  
  
Mara's grin grew wicked. "Ah, yes, _McJobs._"  
  
"It's honest work."  
  
"Right, now you've given him a rotten job and a squalid   
little building to live in. But you still haven't addressed  
the main issue here."   
  
"I think I have. As long as he persists and keeps working  
hard, his fortunes are bound to turn around."  
  
"But what if he just doesn't care?"  
  
Verthandi blinked. "Doesn't care? Of course he'll care.  
Humans care, that's what they tend to do."  
  
"He doesn't. Give him a million dollars and a penthouse and  
he'll still feel empty inside."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
Mara's grin gained a smirk-like quality to it. "That's the  
point."  
  
"You're not making sense," said Verthandi with some measure  
of conviction.  
  
"Oh, but I am. And the fact that you can't figure it out  
pretty much says it all. You're a useless half-goddess.   
You can't stop us, you won't even be able to tend to the  
world. How can you when you can't even begin to understand  
the mortals that crawl upon it? What I and my fellow  
hellspawn weave, I doubt you can undo. Might as well join  
your other half in oblivion."   
  
Verthandi narowed her eyes. "I see what this is now."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"You're merely trying to lead me astray from my duty."  
  
"Am I now? Maybe I am." Mara shrugged. "Who knows? Now  
if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Mara faded into  
nothingness, leaving Verthandi alone in the park.   
  
And somewhere inside of the goddess, the tiny thread of  
doubt began to grow.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"[I'm sorry, son. We've done all we can do. There's  
nothing else to do now but wait and hope.]"  
  
Alone with Belldandy once more, Keiichi tried to put the  
doctor's words out of his head. They weren't encouraging  
words at all. He wanted more than hope, he wanted  
assurances, he wanted a guarantee, he wanted something sure.   
  
Hope, at the moment, seemed like such a frail thing to rely  
on.  
  
He took her hand in his and put his heart and soul into one  
thought, one wish, one last request.  
  
"[Belldandy, come back. Please come back.]"  
  
The EKG monitor continued its weak beeping.  
  
Silence remained.  
  
Unseen, unheard, unnoticed, the goddess Verthandi descended  
from above, landing silently behind Keiichi. She regarded  
the scene before her with a subtle, slight amount of  
irritation. It didn't make much sense for her to be here,  
but she did have a promise to keep.  
  
And so she waited.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Hey, wait up, Belldandy!"  
  
Belldandy kept walking as though she did not hear Matthew.   
She walked, as if constant movement could help her avoid her  
fate. She walked through the halls of the castle, out the  
gates, and wandered the dreaming without a destination in  
mind.   
  
"Bell? Hello? What's wrong with ya?"  
  
"I don't want to die, Matthew," she said. "I'm not ready  
yet. Not yet."  
  
And so she walked. Through endless fields of gold and  
mountains beyond the moon, through starry nights and sunny  
clear blue skies, past the houses of Mystery and Secrets,  
across the Dreaming she wandered.   
  
At last, she stopped. Before her was a familiar beach, from  
a better time. Belldandy sat upon a large rock and stared  
out into the horizon.  
  
For the first time, Matthew saw her smile.  
  
"Bell?"  
  
"Keiichi took me to this beach, you know. Looking back, it  
was such a nice day. Though at the time we were both too  
nervous to enjoy it." She sighed, though still smiling.  
"My sister's interference didn't help much, but she had the  
best intentions in mind."  
  
In the distance, a figure was walking across the sands and  
towards them. Belldandy looked briefly at the person, then  
resumed watching the setting sun and the endless tides of  
the ocean. The sound of the rushing waves and the circling  
seagulls felt soothing to her, a reminder of good days gone  
by.  
  
Matthew, entirely without a clue as to what he could do now,  
took flight and circled above her, feeling the need to  
stretch his wings. The seagulls didn't seem to mind it,  
anyway.  
  
Was it hours that passed? Days? Seconds? It seemed time  
didn't matter in this place.  
  
That, of course, was a misconception. Time moved on.  
  
A woman's voice spoke, moving Belldandy out of her   
reminiscence.  
  
"Hi there."  
  
She turned to see a waifish woman, dressed all in black   
with pale white skin, a silver ankh worn on a string   
around her neck. She was thin, with shoulder length   
black hair, and had a simple sort of beauty. Not sexy, not  
cute, just beautiful.   
  
"Hello," said Belldandy.  
  
"Nice day, isn't it?" the woman asked pleasantly.  
  
"Yes, it is," replied Belldandy. She was rather ill at ease.  
This was all too nice.  
  
"Mind if I have a seat here?" asked the girl, indicating the  
large rock upon which Belldandy was sitting.  
  
"Oh, not at all."  
  
The girl sat down on the rocks, then tore a piece of bread  
from a small loaf she was holding. She tossed it up in the  
air, where a passing seagull snapped it up.  
  
"Wanna feed the birds?" asked the girl.  
  
Belldandy shook her head.  
  
"Suit yourself." The girl tossed bit after bit of the loaf  
into the air, each one snatched away by a seagull flying by.  
  
Odd, thought Belldandy, that such a girl would be the  
embodiment and personification of Death.  
  
"Is it time?" Belldandy asked Death.  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"Oh. I suppose it was silly of me to wander around."  
  
"No," said Death. "Not really. It was something you  
had to do."  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Tell me," said Belldandy. "What is it like? In the  
Beyond?"  
  
Death shrugged. "That's something everyone finds out for  
themselves."  
  
"Oh. I see." Belldandy sighed and continued looking at the  
eternal sunset. "It was a nice life, I guess."  
  
"No regrets?" asked Death.  
  
"Some," admitted Belldandy. "I wish I had married Keiichi..."  
  
"You two do seem to be a good match," said Death.  
  
"You've met him?" asked Belldandy.  
  
"I meet everyone," said Death pleasantly.  
  
"Oh. That's right." Belldandy smiled warmly once more.  
"Yes, I really do think we were perfect together."  
  
Death nodded, listening attentively.  
  
"I think ... I could have lived with being mortal," said  
Belldandy. "If only things had been done right, I really  
think we could have had a happily ever after."  
  
"Being mortal does have its perks," said Death.  
  
"You've been one before?" asked Belldandy, somewhat  
surprised.  
  
Death nodded. "It's all so exhilirating and frightening  
and fun at the same time."  
  
"Yes, it is," agreed Belldandy.  
  
Belldandy looked out at the sea for a long time, sitting  
companionably with Death.  
  
Quietly, Death began humming a tune. Belldandy looked over  
at her, puzzled. Death looked back. "Not familiar with  
this song, are you?"   
  
Belldandy shook her head.  
  
Death began to sing, in a low soft voice.  
  
o/~ I see trees of green, red roses too...  
I see them bloom for me and you...  
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.  
  
I see skies of blue and clouds of white,  
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,  
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.  
  
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky  
Are also on the faces of people going by.  
I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do  
They're really saying 'I love you...'  
  
I hear babies crying, I watch them grow...  
They'll learn much more than I'll never know...  
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...  
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world... o/~  
  
Tears ran down Belldandy's face while Death quietly sang.   
When Death had finished, Belldandy shook her head. "I'm  
sorry... I just don't want to go."   
  
Death ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "I know.   
Nobody does. They always say there's more they could have  
done, things they need to do.   
  
"Your term is at an end, Belldandy. That's all there is."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was, by Verthandi's standards, a waste of time. She did  
not mean that in a harsh way, though. There was nothing she  
could do for her other, or for Keiichi. And neither of them  
could sense her presence either.  
  
The world, Belldandy and Keiichi included, would be better  
served by Verthandi attending to her duty. Still, a promise  
was a promise, and Belldandy's time was coming soon.   
  
Looking back, Verthandi didn't see why she even bothered  
agreeing with Belldandy.  
  
It was Belldandy's promise to keep, not hers.  
  
Verthandi glanced at Keiichi, then at her other, and to  
Keiichi once more. Was the boy that special to have torn  
her in two like this?  
  
With a subtle, almost undetectable change, the EKG meter  
slowed, showing Belldandy's life signs fading by a bit.  
  
Keiichi finally broke into uncontrollable sobs, clutching  
Belldandy's hand desperately as if it would make a  
difference. He called out her name, asked God for another  
chance, anything, anything at all for just a little more  
time.  
  
Verthandi was beginning to be disturbed by the scene before  
her. There was something... undefinable nagging at her  
core.  
  
It was, however, easily ignored.  
  
Belldandy's heartbeat sank further, a weak blip on a screen.  
Keiichi sobbed and whispered in her ear, pleading for her to  
hold on, to come back to him.  
  
"Sorry, Keiichi," said Verthandi, even though she knew he  
would not hear her. "This is the way it must be."  
  
The telltale rise and fall of Belldandy's chest slowed  
further, her heartbeat fading.  
  
Fading.  
  
Fading.  
  
Gone.  
  
Keiichi put his head to Belldandy's chest, weeping as though  
his heart would break, if it hadn't already. All the joyful   
tomorrows, all the shared memories...  
  
Verthandi turned away from the scene, wiping a single tear  
from her eyes.  
  
She paused.  
  
A tear?  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was over.  
  
She could feel it slip away, her last connections to the  
mortal world severed.  
  
Belldandy sighed, a tone of resignation. "All right." She  
looked back at the sea, a soft smile. "I do hope I have  
left the world a far better place than when I entered."   
  
Death stood up, standing before Belldandy. From above,   
Matthew flew down, thinking something was up.  
  
"It's time."   
  
Belldandy nodded. She looked to Death, but found herself  
squinting as the sun's rays blinded her.   
  
Matthew lowered his head. "Hey, kid... look, uh... good  
luck. I'm... really sorry."  
  
In a low whisper, Belldandy said, "I know. Thank you,  
Matthew... and goodbye."  
  
Death's voice came from the sunlight.  
  
"Belldandy?   
  
"Give me your hand."   
  
The mortal closed her eyes, and reached out with her hand...   
  
A hand took hers. It was cool and strong and firm...  
  
And then Matthew was alone on the beach.   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
None had entered the room where Keiichi watched over  
Belldandy. There was something about the scene, something  
that made interrupting it seem almost sacriligious.  
  
It seemed like such an inappropriate conclusion to Keiichi.  
  
A girl like Belldandy deserved a death more... more... the  
words were impossible to find. Belldandy was the kind of  
person whose death was inconcievable, the kind of person  
that was supposed to live forever.  
  
And she was, too.  
  
Even though she'd passed away minutes ago, he still held her  
hand, still laid his head on her shoulder.  
  
But nothing lasts forever.  
  
"[Goodbye.]"  
  
He kissed her, once, on her forehead, then took one last  
longing look at her. Still beautiful, even after death.  
Her diamond-shaped forehead marking was back, too.  
  
That was odd.  
  
Belldandy opened her eyes and smiled. "[Hi.]"  
  
Keiichi fell back in shock, tumbling over his chair, almost  
banging his head on the floor. The last sight he saw was   
Belldandy putting her hands to her mouth, and the last   
word he heard was her exclaiming his name...  
  
"[Keiichi!]"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Belldandy kneeled next to Keiichi, propping his head up   
against the wall.   
  
For a moment, she'd thought herself gone, but things were  
often not what they seemed...  
  
Belldandy quietly brushed back a stray strand of Keiichi's  
hair. She sighed, remembering the crossing into the  
Beyond, and a single question...  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
"Why?" Verthandi asked.  
  
Belldandy looked down at herself. One minute she had been reaching   
for Death's hand, and then the next she knew, there was a bright   
glow, and a warm hand took hers...  
  
She blinked, noticing that Verthandi's hand was holding hers tightly,  
knuckles almost white with pressure. Quietly, Belldandy lifted her   
chin up, to look into Verthandi's coldly dispassionate eyes.  
  
All around them, there was nothing to be seen. There was an  
absence of light, of dark, of anything.   
  
"What... what are we doing here? Where is Death? And why what?"  
  
"I feel that we need to discuss a few things before you  
leave," said the Goddess. "There are... matters that  
concern me. Death graciously gave me the opportunity to  
talk with you... alone."   
  
Unsure of what to make of the situation, the mortal regarded the  
goddess with a puzzled look, before slowly smiling sadly.  
  
"You saw Keiichi, didn't you?"  
  
The goddess remained quiet for a time.  
  
And then... breaking the silence...  
  
"Yes."   
  
The goddess slowly closed her eyes and then opened them once  
again to look at the mortal.  
  
"I fear... there may have been a mistake," said the goddess.  
"And I feel you are needed to rectify this."  
  
"Mistake?" asked the mortal.  
  
"Through the millenia that we have served, there has always  
been a sense of balance. Urd was mindful of the lessons of  
the past, I held my vision over the here and now, and Skuld  
had her eyes cast to the future."  
  
The goddess frowned and looked away to nothing in particular  
(for in Limbo, that is all that is to be seen). "I'd like to  
think we did our duty and did it well."  
  
"I'm inclined to agree," said the mortal.  
  
"And with the more... unstable elements removed from the  
divine elements... I had assumed that our duty would be  
carried out even better."  
  
"It would seem so," conceded Belldandy.  
  
"But lately I have realized that this may be a compromise of  
balance. What is justice without compassion? What is logic  
without feelings? How can we serve mankind if we do not  
have humanity? Without them, we would be incomplete. But I  
do not understand... though I feel I am at the very edge of  
doing so. I can't make that final connection. Why?"   
  
Belldandy looked at her other with a puzzled  
expression. "Why...?"  
  
"Why did we do this to ourselves?" asked Verthandi. "Why?   
I look to the past for answers, but I cannot make sense of  
it. Not without the true feelings of those moments. Not  
without you."   
  
Verthandi reached out to touch Belldandy's hand.  
  
With that touch, Belldandy's mind was flooded with a sense  
of order, purpose, reason, and faith.  
  
With that touch, Verthandi's mind was drowned in a sea of  
hope, despair, confusion, and love.  
  
And then the world faded away...   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was dark. Very dark. Through the darkness, she could  
see the night sky and hear the rustling of trees in the  
wind.  
  
Where am I?  
  
After a while, her vision adjusted to the darkness. She  
realized this was, in fact, her room at the temple.  
  
I'm... back?  
  
She found herself walking through the darkened corridors,  
though she wasn't controlling her movements at all.  
  
This is... a memory. I see.  
  
She found herself at Keiichi's door, silently opening it and  
slipping inside. She stood by Keiichi's bedside and knelt  
beside him, stroking his hair gently.  
  
I remember now. I remember thinking how beautiful he  
is, how my life changed the day I met him, and how I  
would never, ever leave his side.  
  
She gave him a gentle, light kiss on the forehead, then left  
the room. After a few more minutes of wandering, she found  
herself outside, standing by the tree in the courtyard.  
  
I looked up at the stars and wondered why it was that  
love between mortals and deities were never easy and  
so often fated to disaster.  
  
The Yggdrasil told me of the possible futures. It told  
me of the risks. I had shown my loyalty to Keiichi over  
all else, more than once. Because of that, I may be  
forced to leave his side, promise or not.  
  
I would not allow that.  
  
I would leave it all behind for Keiichi, I really would.  
  
But...  
  
But... what of my duties to the Yggdrasil, and my  
sisters? It wouldn't be fair to my sisters to leave,  
and I think that the powers that be would not take  
kindly to it. Disaster was sure to follow in that path.  
  
Oh...  
  
If only I was a mortal.  
  
If only...  
  
Belldandy's eyes widened with realization.  
  
Yes, it could be done.  
  
Urd creates duplicates of herself all the time.   
  
Belldandy did it as well, except... this would be far  
more different than before, and on a more ambitious  
scale.   
  
To divide one's soul...  
  
Belldandy stared up at the crescent moon, her mind buzzing  
with possibilities.  
  
Am I overreacting? Perhaps if I resume my duties,  
partially, I could still be with Keiichi.  
  
Perhaps, once all the commotion of the First of the  
Fallen's failed scheme died down, all would return to  
normal.  
  
Perhaps not.  
  
Mortals and deities did sometimes unite and live a  
wonderful life. But for every example of a happy ending,  
there were a dozen tales of tragedy and woe.  
  
The odds are against me.  
  
I have to act first.  
  
She removed the power limiters she wore on her ears, taking  
away the barrier between herself and the full might of her   
powers. Belldandy began an incantation and the mark on her  
forehead began to shine brightly, altering to become a symbol  
of full power.  
  
She hovered above ground for a moment, with the wind  
whipping around her and a brilliant azure light blazing from  
her goddess mark.  
  
And then she blurred.  
  
Belldandy collapsed to the ground, feeling drained of all  
energy and fading into unconsciousness.   
  
I... what... what's happening...  
  
Belldandy landed on the ground easily, standing tall and  
confident, and radiant with power. She looked down at  
herself, her other, and thought for a moment.  
  
Two of us. Two Belldandys.  
  
No.  
  
That is not fitting.  
  
Belldandy is a name, an image, a creation of  
reconfiguration, a goddess with a mortal heart.  
  
That is not me.  
  
I am what I once was, and will forever be.  
  
Verthandi.  
  
Belldandy, dazed and confused, opened her eyes. She found  
herself gazing directly into someone else's eyes... but  
so much like her own.  
  
"What... wha..."  
  
Verthandi waved an arm. Belldandy disappeared quietly,  
without sound or light, and found herself once more in her  
room. There was something hovering on the edge of her mind,  
but everything was a blur now. She was too tired to focus,  
too tired to think.  
  
A moment later, she fell asleep.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
The Goddess quietly released the mortal, her hands trembling.  
  
"... we loved Keiichi very much, didn't we, that we would do this  
to ourselves? Torn between duty and... love..." Verthandi whispered.  
  
"Do you understand now?" Belldandy murmured.  
  
"Yes. I cannot let you go."  
  
"... why not?"  
  
"Because then I would die."  
  
"But _I_ would die."  
  
"No. You are the better part of me," said the goddess.   
"The one who can watch the comets fly across the sky... and  
admire the beauty of its inner workings... instead of seeing  
a simple ball of ice..."   
  
"Balance," said Belldandy, "seems to be the key in all  
things. Do you think... we may lose Keiichi because of  
this?"  
  
"We can always talk to our Father," said Verthandi. "He is  
more open-minded these days. I'm sure things will work for  
the best. I have faith."  
  
The two looked at each other in silence, lost in the moment  
of realization and catharsis.  
  
"Well, are we done now?" a voice whispered from the void,  
as Death materialized, her arms crossed.  
  
The mortal and the goddess slowly raised their heads to  
look at Death of the Endless.  
  
"Oh, don't give me that look! We both know perfectly  
well why I am here, don't we?" Death said.  
  
Verthandi slowly nodded. "... Yes. Here ends... a point  
of view."  
  
There was a moment of silence, as Death merely smiled  
enigmatically.  
  
"Well," said Verthandi at last. "Shall we?"  
  
The mortal Belldandy smiled and nodded, as she took a step   
towards the goddess Verthandi, reaching out her hands...   
  
And the goddess held her arms open, and drew  
the mortal close...  
  
And there was a flash of a silver ankh.  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Belldandy bowed her head, and smiled softly  
to herself, cradling Keiichi in her lap. She was herself  
once again, one whole being...  
  
No. She remained one half of one person. And her  
other half, her true other half...  
  
She opened her eyes to look at Keiichi.  
  
Slowly Keiichi blinked his eyes open.  
  
Belldandy smiled, looking at Keiichi's face.  
  
Verthandi was right. Without humanity...  
  
Without love...  
  
She was incomplete.  
  
Keiichi dazedly rubbed his head. "[Oooo... what was...]"  
He looked up into Belldandy's smiling face. "[Belldandy!]"  
  
"[Keiichi...]" Belldandy whispered, as she took him into her  
arms.  
  
"[Belldandy, I... I...]" Keiichi stammered. Belldandy placed  
a finger on his lips.  
  
"[Shh... I know, Keiichi,]" Belldandy smiled, as she leaned in  
to kiss him...  
  
  
-= end part 3 =-  
  
"Yes, I think to myself,   
what a wonderful world."  
  
- Louis Armstrong,  
"What a Wonderful World"  
  



	5. Epilogue: Dream Within A Dream

---------------------------------  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
Epilogue  
Dream Within A Dream  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
---------------------------------  
  
"That which is dreamed  
Can never be lost, can never be un-dreamed."  
  
-Master Li,   
"The Sandman: The Wake"  
  
  
-*-  
  
  
It was a spectacular view of the ocean, with the sun setting  
into the horizon and the waves gently rolling in.   
  
"This place looks familiar," said Keiichi.   
  
"It should be," replied Belldandy. "Remember the first time  
you took me to the beach?"   
  
"Oh! Oh yeah, that's right." Keiichi grimaced as he  
remembered that day. "Actually, a lot of things went wrong  
that day, didn't it?"   
  
"Yes, but I know you were trying," replied Belldandy  
happily.   
  
"Well, it's nice now."   
  
"Yes, it is."   
  
Belldandy leaned on Keiichi's side, happy and content.   
  
"Too bad this is just a dream," sighed Belldandy.   
  
Keiichi frowned. "It is?"   
  
"Yes, it is, but it's the only way I can be with you at the  
moment."   
  
Bits of memory nagged at him. Belldandy. The hospital.   
The doctors. Him, at her bedside.   
  
Oh no.   
  
"Belldandy... are you..."   
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not."   
  
"Then what do you mean, this is the only way you can be with  
me?"   
  
"Things... have been a little turbulent in Heaven recently.   
All essential personnel are to remain stationed in heaven  
until it is certain the situation has been stabilized." She  
cast her eyes away from him, looking a bit guilty.  
"There's... something I have done recently that... has made  
my peers wonder about my ability to fulfill my duties.   
Until I calm their fears, I must remain here."   
  
Keiichi looked saddened, but understanding. "I... see."   
  
The two watched the setting sun, cuddling next to each  
other, just savoring the moment.   
  
"Belldandy?"   
  
"Hm?"   
  
"The sun seems to be going sideways."   
  
A pumpkin-headed man dashed past them quickly, giving the  
sun a solid thwap with his baseball bat. The sun began to  
sink. Keiichi stared in disbelief.   
  
"Aheh, sorry'bout dat."   
  
As the man ran off into the distance, Belldandy waved.   
  
"Um, who was that?" asked Keiichi.   
  
"Him? Mervyn. He helps build dreams."   
  
"Oh, I see."   
  
"He's rather nice, once you get to know him."   
  
The sun slowly set, giving way to night. The stars shone  
brightly in the endless sky, and the couple looked up to  
admire them.   
  
Belldandy gave Keiichi a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll  
miss you. I miss you already. Hopefully, I'll return to  
you soon."   
  
Keiichi smiled. "I'm happy here with you now, if only in my  
dreams."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Meanwhile, in a certain London pub...   
  
"Hey Mara."   
  
The demoness didn't bother to look up, acknowledging Urd's  
arrival with a grunt. Her attention was, at the moment,  
focused on a mug of some infernal beverage.   
  
Urd raised an eyebrow, noting Mara's current mode, which was  
a bit of an irritated sulk.   
  
"Well, aren't we moody today."   
  
"Just one of those 'blah' days," grumbled Mara.   
  
Urd shrugged and took a seat at the bar next to her. "If I  
didn't know better, I'd have thought you actually helped out  
in the whole Belldandy/Verthandi mess."   
  
"Good thing I didn't, hm?" replied Mara. "My track record  
with the boss downstairs isn't exactly stellar at the  
moment. If I did, I'd really be in deep trouble, hm?"   
  
"Yeah, deep trouble."   
  
Urd ordered her drink while Mara absently stared at hers and  
swirled it around a bit.   
  
"I mean, it's not like I have any sentimental attachments  
with any of you," said Mara.  
  
Urd shook her head. "No, of course not."   
  
"I mean, I did try to get Belldandy over to our side," said  
Mara.   
  
"Mm-hm."   
  
"Dunno how you found out about her wandering 'round the  
Dreaming, but it wasn't from me."   
  
"Anonymous tip," said Urd.   
  
"And it wasn't like I was trying to talk 'Verthandi' into  
going back to Bell. I was... just trying to give her a bit  
of despair."   
  
"Right. Despair."   
  
"Did my duties as a demoness, right?   
  
"Yep."   
  
"That's right. I'm just about as evil as you are good,  
Urd."  
  
"Got that ri-... hey." Urd looked questioningly at Mara,  
who continued to just sulk.   
  
Mara downed the last of her drink in one shot, then leaned  
forward, resting her chin on her hand.   
  
"Of course," said the demoness, "if I did have a hand in  
helping out, I'd say you guys would owe me, hm?"   
  
"Yeah, I guess we would."   
  
Mara nodded. "Good to know."   
  
  
-*-  
  
  
Lucien pushed his chair back, stretching, only to be  
startled by the Corinithian leaning up against the bookshelf  
to his left, staring at the spot recently vacated.   
  
A spot formerly occupied by the book currently open on the  
table.   
  
The Corinthian only watched Lucien silently, his dark  
glasses hiding those ineffable teeth-eyes. Above him,  
Matthew perched, greeting Lucien with a caw.   
  
"So what're you reading, Lucien?"   
  
Lucien tilted his head, looking at them owlishly from behind  
those horn-rimmed glasses, then turned back to the book.   
  
"It was a tale of a goddess who loved... and the mortal who  
loved her back. And now it has been written."   
  
Lucien slowly closed the book, watching the tome shimmer out  
of sight.   
  
Matthew looked puzzled. "What happened?"   
  
Surprisingly, it was the Corinthian who answered, his arms  
folded across his chest. In a dark voice, he whispered, "We  
were mere supporting players in their tale for a time."   
  
Lucien nodded.   
  
"And this chapter of their tale is done."   
  
  
-= end of Mortal Fates =-  
  
  
SCENE  
( Keiichi and Verthandi are sitting at the beach  
in the Dreaming. She is resting comfortably  
by his side and looking happy, while a crescent  
moon looms in the sky. )  
  
BELLDANDY  
(singing)  
  
Stars shining bright above you  
Night breezes seem to whisper I love you  
Birds singing in the sycamore tree  
Dream a little dream of me  
  
Say nighty-night and kiss me  
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me  
While I'm alone and blue as can be  
Dream a little dream of me  
  
----------*----------  
  
PLOTS  
David Tai  
Rod M.  
  
----------*----------  
  
KEIICHI  
Nice song. I didn't know you had such a nice  
singing voice.  
  
BELLDANDY  
(smiling) Why don't you sing a few lines?  
  
KEIICHI  
(frowning) Me? I don't sing too well.  
  
BELLDANDY  
It's a dream. Just imagine yourself singing good.  
  
KEIICHI  
(blinks) Oh.... okay.  
  
(singing)  
  
Stars fading but I linger on, dear  
Still craving your kiss  
I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear  
Just saying this  
  
Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you  
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you  
But in your dreams whatever they be  
Dream a little dream of me  
  
----------*----------  
  
EDITING STAFF  
David Tai   
Rod M.  
Christian Bremer  
T.J. Griesenbrock  
Chan Wei-Lik  
Terry Johnson  
Luba Kmetyk  
queenB  
Jeffrey Hosmer  
Paul Corrigan  
Foxtrot  
The Keep Rats  
(you know who you are)  
The FFML Lads and Ladies  
  
----------*----------  
  
BELLDANDY  
Nice, isn't it?  
  
KEIICHI  
Wow... that was... strange.  
Didn't know I could do that.  
  
BELLDANDY  
See? All you have to do is believe.  
  
KEIICHI  
Oh, never thought of it that way.  
  
BELLDANDY  
Shall we?  
  
KEIICHI  
I'd love to.  
  
----------*----------  
  
SPECIAL THANKS TO:  
The Anime Web Turnpike: http://www.anipike.com  
CFAN: The Comic Fan-Fiction Authors Network:  
http://members.aol.com/kielle/cfan.htm  
The Mamas & The Papas, who originally sang  
"Dream A Little Dream"  
  
And of course:  
To Neil Gaiman and assorted writers, for The Dreaming  
and to Kosuke Fujishima for Ah My Goddess!  
  
----------*----------  
  
KEIICHI & BELLDANDY  
(singing)  
  
Stars fading but I linger on, dear  
Still craving your kiss  
I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear  
Just saying this  
  
Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you  
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you  
But in your dreams whatever they be  
Dream a little dream of me  
  
- THE END -  



	6. Closing Notes

  
---------------------------------  
  
Rod M. & David Tai present...  
  
Mortal Fates:   
An Ah My Goddess!/The Dreaming crossover  
  
Closing notes from the writers  
  
A 'Blame Mike Loader' Production  
  
----------*----------  
  
  
  
Author's Commentary  
  
Closing remarks: Oh lord, this is FINALLY over!   
-djt  
  
This is a major pain in the butt story.   
  
This was during the time we were just finishing part 2 of  
Dire Fates. It was as a result of a debate with Rod where I  
thought we could pull off a Vertigo/Ah My Goddess trilogy.   
And naturally, the only continuing Vertigo series that  
incorporated the DC universe at the time were: John  
Constantine: Hellblazer, The Dreaming, and The Books of  
Magic.   
  
Since Hellblazer and Skuld had been done, it seemed natural  
to match the Dreaming with Belldandy and Books of Magic with  
Urd.   
  
The hard part was coming up with a plot for Belldandy.   
  
Usually it was "No," from Rod for MOST ideas I came up with.   
  
Then I got pretty frustrated and said, "Why don't we just  
split up Belldandy?"   
  
"Hmmmmmm."   
  
And then we sat down and hashed out a plot.   
  
A pretty nice plot.   
  
Too bad the end version ended up nothing like that.   
  
To put it mildly, the Ah My Goddess continuity nitpickers  
came out en masse. And ah, the Dreaming got kinda  
overwhelmed by the strong Ah My Goddess plot. Sorry 'bout  
that.   
  
But it was a fun ride.   
  
Anyway, miscellaneous tidbits:   
  
The titles of each chapter are taken from the titles of  
Edgar Allan Poe poems.  
  
Rod is STILL a horrible speller.   
  
Rod thinks this fanfic is incomplete, mostly because it  
doesn't have John Constantine in it.   
  
Always blame Mike Loader.   
  
That's it. Aheh.  
  
-David Tai (dtai@ix.netcom.com)  
  
  
  
----------*----------  
  
  
Author's Commentary  
  
Closing remarks: Well, this was a bit rough, wasn't it?  
-rod m  
  
Oh, what to say on this little venture.  
  
It was, to be honest, a somewhat daunting project. With a  
plot such as this, there would be expectations put upon us  
to make a social statement of some sort about mankind, love,  
and all that other nonsense.  
  
I hate making statement like that.  
  
There were several difficulties in writing this.  
  
The first difficulty was in reader appeal.  
  
I think David was a bit unrealistic, but I wasn't, about the  
possible readership of this story. In Dire Fates, we used  
two characters with large fanbases: Skuld and John  
Constantine. Heck, we even had a few people get into  
Hellblazer because of it.  
  
But Belldandy? Sure she's the main character of Ah My  
Goddess, but she's.... just not as interesting as her  
sisters. And the Dreaming, while being an offspring of  
DC/Vertigo's famous 'The Sandman' series, was 'The Sandman'  
without the Sandman, and its popularity is not as strong as  
Sandman's, not nearly as much.  
  
To summarize, I had doubts about who'd want to read it.  
Those who were hooked by Dire Fates might not be willing to  
go through Mortal Fates, really.  
  
Another difficulty? The element of surprise.  
  
A lot of our pre-readers thought, as they read through half  
of the story, that the First of the Fallen was up to  
something again, or perhaps it was a mean deed of the  
archangels. Quite a few thought it was a run-of-the-mill  
Belldandy-loses-godhood-and-dies sort of story, which it  
was, but wasn't at the same time.  
  
As a consequence of hiding that surprise, the opportunities  
to expand on the character of Verthandi were terribly  
limited. We only had part 3 to work with to really work on  
her. It wasn't a lot of room, and to be honest we came up a  
little short, but we did the best we could. And that'll  
have to do.  
  
The worst difficulty? Keiichi.  
  
Damn the man.  
  
You don't have any idea how nauseating it is to write scenes  
for such a powerless wishy-washy geek. By the end of part  
2, me and david were contemplating letting keiichi die  
instead and have Bell live happily ever after with Megumi,  
Keiichi's sister.  
  
But, all in all, despite a tad bit much on the melodrama, I  
think this story worked out okay. Managed to keep the plot  
twists, a fair degree of originality, and a little bit of  
that warm and fuzzy feeling you get on 'chick films'.  
  
So, where do we go from here?  
  
I dunno.  
  
We've one more cycle of the trilogy to go, we'll see how it  
comes out.  
  
Hope you enjoyed the story.  
  
-rod m.  
  
  



End file.
